Cruel Fate
Sorcery
Look at the top five cards of target opponent's library. Put one of those cards into that player's graveyard and the rest on top of their library in any order.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Portal
- Price
- $0.84
- EDHREC rank
- #29524
Cruel Fate lets you look at the top five cards of an opponent's library and bury one permanently — it's targeted, it's instant-speed, and it answers whatever they're about to draw. Five mana for a single-target answer with no direct card advantage is a real cost, and most blue decks will find better ways to spend that mana.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Cruel Fate occupies a narrow niche: blue decks that want to disrupt a specific opponent's game plan at instant speed, particularly in response to a shuffle or tutor. The four-player table dilutes its value — one buried card affects one opponent, so the tempo cost rarely justifies the slot over counterspells or draw. In Legacy and Vintage, it's legal but never sees play; those formats demand interaction that affects the board state immediately, and scry-5-bury-one at five mana doesn't come close to the bar. Cruel Fate is effectively a Commander-only conversation, and even there it's a fringe include.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.84 bulk tier
At $0.84, Cruel Fate sits at the low end of bulk rare territory. It's a casual novelty at best, so don't expect demand to push the price anywhere — this is a pick-up-if-you-want-it card with no competitive pressure behind it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.