Death Pulse
Instant
Target creature gets -4/-4 until end of turn.
Cycling 
(, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, you may have target creature get -1/-1 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Onslaught
- Price
- $0.13
- EDHREC rank
- #26614
Death Pulse puts a -4/-4 counter on any creature for five mana — slow and expensive by removal standards, but the cycling clause means it never bricks your hand when the target isn't worth five mana. The verdict is honest: it's a playable budget option in Commander, nothing more.
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 |
Death Pulse is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but only Commander gives it a plausible home. In Legacy and Vintage the competition is Fatal Push, Swords to Plowshares, and Force of Will, and five mana for a -4/-4 effect doesn't enter the conversation. In Commander the cycling saves it — you run Death Pulse when your removal slot budget is tight and you'd rather cycle it than run nothing at that cmc. Oathbreaker follows the same logic as Commander at a smaller scale.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.13 bulk tier
At $0.13, Death Pulse sits firmly in bulk territory — it costs less than a sleeve. That price won't move; there's no scarcity story here, just a common with a narrow use case that keeps it in the bargain bin.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.