Cruel Deceiver
Creature — Spirit
: Look at the top card of your library.
: Reveal the top card of your library. If it's a land card, this creature gains "Whenever this creature deals damage to a creature, destroy that creature" until end of turn. Activate only once each turn.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Champions of Kamigawa
- Price
- $0.07
- EDHREC rank
- #26516
Cruel Deceiver is a 2/1 for two mana that lets you pay one and reveal the top card of your library to give itself flying or not block it — a fragile creature with a marginal ability that rarely justifies a deck slot. Outside of very narrow top-of-library synergy builds, it doesn't make the cut.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Cruel Deceiver is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but legal doesn't mean playable. In Pauper it's a common, and even there a 2/1 for two with a conditional, pay-to-activate flying ability can't compete with the format's efficient threats. In Commander, Cruel Deceiver only makes sense in decks that manipulate the top of the library repeatedly — think Top effects or Future Sight — but even then it's a low-impact body that trades board presence for a minor evasion trick. Legacy and Vintage aren't conversations worth having here.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.07 bulk tier
At $0.07, Cruel Deceiver sits firmly in bulk territory — you're paying for the cardboard, not the card. That price isn't going anywhere; bulk commons with no competitive application don't appreciate.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.