Decomposition
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant black creature
Enchanted creature has "Cumulative upkeep—Pay 1 life." (At the beginning of its controller's upkeep, that player puts an age counter on it, then sacrifices it unless they pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.)
When enchanted creature dies, its controller loses 2 life.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Mirage
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #29480
Decomposition is a slow-burn enchantment that drains a creature's power one counter at a time, eventually leaving behind a body too small to matter. The setup cost is real, but in attrition-focused black decks that want incremental value, it pulls its weight.
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 |
Decomposition is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it only realistically belongs in Commander, where the slower pace lets the counter drain actually resolve before the game ends. In Legacy and Vintage, the speed of those formats makes a three-mana enchantment that works over multiple turns a non-starter — you'll never see it there. Commander is where Decomposition finds its niche: stax and attrition builds that want to lock down a dangerous creature without spending removal on it outright.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Decomposition is bulk — a throw-in card that costs you almost nothing to try. Bulk enchantments with narrow use cases don't appreciate, so don't hold extras expecting upside.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.