Devour in Shadow
Instant
Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated. You lose life equal to that creature's toughness.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Fifth Dawn
- Price
- $0.17
- EDHREC rank
- #17248
Devour in Shadow kills any creature or planeswalker regardless of toughness or indestructibility, full stop — the only price is life equal to that creature's toughness. In black decks with life-gain synergies or high starting life totals, that cost is negligible; everywhere else, it's a small tax for unconditional removal on a two-mana instant.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Devour in Shadow earns its slot by handling indestructible threats and high-toughness walls that conditional removal misses — Avacyn, Angel of Hope and Zetalpa, Primal Dawn don't care about most black removal, but they fold to this. Legacy and Vintage have Fatal Push and Snuff Out competing hard for the same slot, and the life payment becomes a liability in faster formats where life totals matter more. Modern sees fringe play in Life-gain shells where the toughness drain is an upside, but Dismember largely crowds it out. Devour in Shadow is strongest in Commander, where the unconditional clause outweighs the cost across a 40-life game.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.17 bulk tier
At $0.17, Devour in Shadow is deep bulk — easy to pick up as a throw-in or from a commons box. The price reflects limited competitive demand, not the card's actual utility in Commander, where unconditional removal at two mana is undervalued and this slot often goes to worse options.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.