Cleon, Merry Champion

Legendary Creature — Human Soldier

Double strike
Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets Cleon, exile the top card of your library. You may play that card until the end of your next turn.

CMC
3
Mana cost
{2}{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
uncommon
Set
Foundations Jumpstart
Price
$0.31
EDHREC rank
#18243
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Cleon, Merry Champion card art
Cleon, Merry Champion is a combat-focused value engine that rewards attacking with multiple creatures — the kind of card that generates real card advantage in the mid-game without asking much in return. The cost is that it does nothing on an empty board, so it lives and dies by how reliably you can swing wide.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander
legacy
modern
pioneer
standard
vintage
pauper
oathbreaker

Commander is the correct home for Cleon, Merry Champion — the format's multiplayer dynamics mean more combat steps, more creatures, and more opportunities to trigger its ability repeatedly before opponents can answer it. Legacy and Vintage are legal on paper, but those formats have no interest in a three-mana creature that needs a board state to function when the competition is Delver of Secrets and Tinker. Oathbreaker could work in an aggressive shell, though the 20-life total and faster clock compress the window where Cleon, Merry Champion pays off.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.31 bulk tier

At $0.31, Cleon, Merry Champion sits firmly in bulk territory — easy to pick up as a throw-in and no meaningful financial risk. Bulk rares with narrow homes rarely climb unless a pushed commander drives demand, so don't expect price movement.

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Mentioned

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    Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.