Deathlace
Instant
Target spell or permanent becomes black. (Mana symbols on that permanent remain unchanged.)
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Unlimited Edition
- Price
- $7.09
- EDHREC rank
- #29125
Deathlace turns any permanent or spell black for a single black mana — a narrow effect with almost no general application. The only reason to run it is to enable a very specific synergy, and outside of that context it's a wasted slot.
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 |
Deathlace is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but that breadth is academic — it sees functionally zero competitive play in any of them. In Commander, the only realistic home is a deck that explicitly cares about permanents being black, such as one built around color-hosing effects or Treacherous Blessing-style payoffs. Legacy and Vintage have no interest in Deathlace when actual interaction costs the same mana or less. Oathbreaker inherits the same niche-or-nothing verdict.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Deathlace's effect — changing a permanent's color to black — is so narrow that there isn't a direct budget replacement, because almost no other card attempts the same thing at common or uncommon rarity. If the underlying goal is making blockers easier to kill with black removal, Unnatural Hunger or targeted evasion tools accomplish more without the setup cost.
Price Context
Current price
$7.09 mid tier
At $7.09, Deathlace sits in the mid tier purely on scarcity — it's an old card with limited reprints, not a card earning its price through demand. That price does not reflect power; it reflects supply, and it's hard to justify paying it except to complete a very specific combo or collection.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.