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Defiler of Instinct

Creature — Phyrexian Kavu

First strike
As an additional cost to cast red permanent spells, you may pay 2 life. Those spells cost {R} less to cast if you paid life this way. This effect reduces only the amount of red mana you pay.
Whenever you cast a red permanent spell, this creature deals 1 damage to any target.

CMC
4
Mana cost
{2}{R}{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
rare
Set
Dominaria United
Price
$0.60
EDHREC rank
#4558
Buy on TCGplayer
Defiler of Instinct card art
Defiler of Instinct lands as a 4/4 first strike that turns every red permanent you cast into a free Shock at the cost of 2 life — the damage adds up fast and the life payment fuels payoffs like Aetherflux Reservoir before you've spent a single red mana on triggers. Clive, Ifrit's Dominant decks run it as a near-auto-include because the life-payment synergy and the board presence arrive on the same card at four mana.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01

Clive, Ifrit's Dominant

53.6% of decks · synergy 0.47

Clive, Ifrit's Dominant cares deeply about paying life to cast spells, and Defiler of Instinct converts every red permanent — including Clive himself — into another life-payment trigger, keeping the engine humming without needing extra mana.

02
Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest

Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest

53.0% of decks · synergy 0.46

Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest builds around casting spells on each player's turn, which means Defiler of Instinct's triggered pings fire at a punishing rate as the deck churns through its red permanents.

03

Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might

32.4% of decks · synergy 0.25

Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might replaces any red source's damage below 4 with 4, so the 2-damage trigger from Defiler of Instinct becomes a 4-damage trigger — every red permanent you cast is suddenly a Shock that hits for 4.

04
Tannuk, Steadfast Second

Tannuk, Steadfast Second

25.5% of decks · synergy 0.19

Tannuk, Steadfast Second's life-payment loops feed directly off the 2-life cost that Defiler of Instinct asks on each trigger, letting the deck convert board development into consistent life loss for its core engine.

05
Rowan, Scion of War

Rowan, Scion of War

19.3% of decks · synergy 0.18

Rowan, Scion of War reduces spell costs equal to life paid, and Defiler of Instinct generates that life loss organically on every red permanent cast, effectively discounting spells while simultaneously pinging opponents.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

In Commander, Defiler of Instinct is a role-player with a high ceiling — the 2-life payment scales into a serious threat in decks that reward life loss, and the first strike body is relevant enough that it isn't just an engine piece you're ashamed to attack with. In Modern and Pioneer, a 4/4 first strike for four mana needs to do more than deal 2 damage once in a while, and without the multiplayer life-payment synergies that make it shine in Commander, it rarely earns a slot over purpose-built threats. Legacy and Vintage have faster, more consistent engines and don't need Defiler of Instinct at any power level. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander's verdict — if the signature spell triggers it repeatedly, it overperforms; otherwise, it's a fine but unspectacular body.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.60 bulk tier

At $0.60, Defiler of Instinct sits firmly in bulk territory, which means the barrier to picking it up is effectively zero — grab a copy whenever you're sleeving a red life-payment deck. Bulk rares with clear homes in popular commander archetypes tend to stay cheap, so don't expect the price to move meaningfully unless a new commander breaks the mechanic wide open.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.