Crush Contraband
Instant
Choose one or both —
• Exile target artifact.
• Exile target enchantment.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Zendikar Rising Commander
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #3923
Crush Contraband exiles up to two artifacts or enchantments — permanent removal, not destroy, splitting cleanly across two threats at instant speed for four mana. That cost keeps it off the premier tier, but Liberty Prime, Recharged decks run it anyway because the exile clause handles indestructible artifacts that other removal bounces off of.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Liberty Prime, Recharged
Liberty Prime, Recharged generates a steady stream of artifact tokens, which means opponents answer in kind with their own artifacts and enchantments — Crush Contraband at instant speed cleans up two of those answers without tapping out on your turn. The exile clause matters here because artifact-heavy metas lean on indestructible rocks and equipment that plain destroy effects can't touch.
Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor
Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor runs a land-centric game plan that has almost no native interaction with artifacts and enchantments, so dedicated removal slots matter more than in other color identities. Crush Contraband fills one of those slots efficiently, covering two permanents at once on an opponent's end step before Obuun attacks.
Dr. Madison Li
Dr. Madison Li operates in a artifacts-matter shell where opponents often deploy their own artifact-based hate pieces to slow the engine down — Crush Contraband exiles two of those at once and keeps the game moving. The instant speed means you can hold up interaction without committing your turn.
Kotori, Pilot Prodigy
Kotori, Pilot Prodigy builds around Vehicles and equipment, and opposing artifact-based stax or removal suites threaten to stall that strategy; Crush Contraband handles two of those problems simultaneously. Exiling rather than destroying is particularly relevant when opponents use indestructible Equipment to block Kotori's attackers.
Millicent, Restless Revenant
Millicent, Restless Revenant plays a go-wide spirit strategy that is highly vulnerable to enchantment-based board suppressors like Ghostly Prison or Propaganda — Crush Contraband can tag two of those effects in a single instant-speed answer. Thirty-one percent of Millicent decks include it, reflecting how often those hate enchantments show up against token strategies.
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 |
Crush Contraband is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker. In Commander it earns its seat as a flexible, instant-speed answer that hits two permanents and exiles both — relevant against indestructible artifacts and enchantments that populate many metas. In competitive Constructed formats like Modern and Pioneer it rarely sees play, because four mana at sorcery-equivalent flexibility loses badly to Wear // Tear or Boseiju, Who Endures. Commander is genuinely the right home for Crush Contraband: the format's multiplayer dynamics make doubling up on targets much more likely, and the exile clause addresses the indestructible artifacts that crop up constantly at powered tables.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
At $0.20, Crush Contraband is bulk — easy to pick up and easy to slot in without any budget consideration. Bulk removal with consistent Commander demand tends to stay flat; don't expect the price to move meaningfully in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Liberty Prime, Recharged
- Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor
- Dr. Madison Li
- Kotori, Pilot Prodigy
- Millicent, Restless Revenant
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.