Cruel Reality
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant player
At the beginning of enchanted player's upkeep, that player sacrifices a creature or planeswalker of their choice. If the player can't, they lose 5 life.
- CMC
- 7
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Amonkhet Remastered
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #9819
Cruel Reality lands on the battlefield and immediately forces every opponent to sacrifice a creature or planeswalker on their upkeep — or lose five life if they can't. Seven mana is steep, but the per-turn pressure it generates is nearly impossible to ignore, and Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor can pass it around the table to spread the pain.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor
Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor is the natural home — her ability to donate cursed permanents to opponents means Cruel Reality doesn't stay pointed at one target but rotates as a recurring threat that everyone has to manage simultaneously.
Ghen, Arcanum Weaver
Ghen, Arcanum Weaver can sacrifice and recur enchantments at will, making Cruel Reality a reusable threat that comes back whenever Ghen needs to reset or dodge targeted removal.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Cruel Reality lives almost exclusively in Commander, where the multiplayer upkeep trigger multiplies its pressure across three opponents at once and the slower pace gives you time to hit seven mana. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it's technically legal but realistically unplayable — seven mana is an eternity in those formats, and the effect, while punishing, doesn't close games fast enough to compete with what those formats are doing. Oathbreaker is the one non-Commander variant worth mentioning: if your planeswalker and signature spell support a stax or curse shell, Cruel Reality can function as a finisher, though the twenty-card signature-spell restriction makes fitting it in a real commitment.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Cruel Reality isn't currently available in the system, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the current market price before buying. Given its narrow Commander niche and limited competitive demand, it has historically been an affordable pickup, but verify before you order.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor
- Ghen, Arcanum Weaver
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.