Desperate Measures
Instant
Target creature gets +1/-1 until end of turn. When it dies under your control this turn, draw two cards.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Tarkir: Dragonstorm
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #11919
Desperate Measures untaps all your creatures and gives them indestructible until end of turn — at instant speed, for three mana, in Boros colors that rarely get this kind of blowout protection. Zurgo, Thunder's Decree decks run it because it does double duty: shields your board through a wrath and simultaneously fuels a combat-step ambush.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Zurgo, Thunder's Decree
Zurgo, Thunder's Decree rewards attacking with multiple creatures, and Desperate Measures lets you swing wide, untap at the right moment, and shrug off the sweeper your opponent fires in response — all on the same turn.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Desperate Measures fills a real gap: Boros has historically lacked instant-speed board protection that also adds offensive pressure, and this card delivers both on one line. The untap clause is what separates it from a vanilla indestructible effect — it enables surprise blocks, resets tap-cost abilities, and can straight-up win combat math that opponents thought they'd solved. Outside Commander, Desperate Measures hasn't broken into competitive 60-card formats because three mana at instant speed is a steep ask when your board is smaller and the payoff scales down with it. Standard and Pioneer players could find situational uses in go-wide aggro, but it's a Commander card at heart.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Desperate Measures is bulk — grab a copy without thinking twice. Bulk rares with narrow but genuine Commander utility tend to stay cheap indefinitely, so there's no urgency beyond just picking one up when you need it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.