Famine
Sorcery
Famine deals 3 damage to each creature and each player.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Masters Edition III
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #24188
Famine hits every creature's toughness and every player's life total simultaneously — six mana for a sweeper and a drain effect on one card. The cost is real, but the two-for-one on board impact makes it worth slotting in any black deck that can reliably reach six mana.
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 |
Famine is a Commander card through and through — the six-mana cost is a liability in Legacy and Vintage, where the game is often decided before you untap with that much mana. In those formats it's technically legal but never sees play. Commander is where Famine earns its slot: the life drain matters in a four-player game, and a -3/-3 sweeper clears most utility creatures and token boards while leaving large threats for targeted removal. Oathbreaker shares enough of Commander's pacing that Famine is playable there too, especially under a life-drain focused signature spell shell.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Current pricing data for Famine isn't available in this snapshot, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the latest. Given its age and low competitive demand, it typically sits in bulk-rare territory — well worth picking up if you need it.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.