Defacing Duskmage // Vandal's Edit
Creature — Dog Warlock // Instant
Deathtouch
Whenever an opponent draws their second card each turn, this creature becomes prepared. (While it's prepared, you may cast a copy of its spell. Doing so unprepares it.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BW
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Secrets of Strixhaven Commander
- Price
- $1.29
- EDHREC rank
- #12407
Defacing Duskmage // Vandal's Edit is a two-for-one threat stapled to a modal removal spell — the front face pressures opponents with a recursive enchantment-based body while the back face handles an artifact or enchantment at instant speed. The ask is low enough that Killian, Decisive Mentor cuts the front face's cost to effectively zero with commander support, making this an easy include in any Orzhov Auras shell.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Killian, Decisive Mentor
Killian, Decisive Mentor reduces the cost of spells that target creatures, which means Defacing Duskmage // Vandal's Edit's front face becomes nearly free while synergizing directly with Killian's counters-and-Auras game plan — that combination of cost reduction and on-board pressure explains the 40% inclusion rate.
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 |
Defacing Duskmage // Vandal's Edit is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but Commander is where it actually sees play. Legacy and Vintage have access to far more efficient threats and hate pieces, so this card doesn't compete there. In Commander, the modal design earns it a spot: the front face generates value over multiple turns in enchantment-heavy builds, and the back face gives you a live card against artifact or enchantment-heavy opponents who would otherwise laugh at a do-nothing beatstick.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.29 cheap tier
At $1.29, Defacing Duskmage // Vandal's Edit sits comfortably in the budget tier — low enough to be a no-brainer inclusion test in any Orzhov Auras list. Modal double-faced cards at this price point tend to hold steady rather than spike, so don't expect this to get cheaper, but there's no urgency to stockpile copies either.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.