Fateful Absence
Instant
Destroy target creature or planeswalker. Its controller investigates. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "
, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #5775
Fateful Absence hits any creature or planeswalker for two mana at instant speed — that's the deal, and it's a good one. The clue it hands your opponent is a real cost, but in Commander the flexibility to answer a Thassa's Oracle, an Atraxa, or a Teferi on the same card justifies it every time.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Kambal, Profiteering Mayor
Kambal, Profiteering Mayor cares about opponents casting spells and generating tokens, and the clue from Fateful Absence feeds directly into that — your opponent cantrips, Kambal taxes them for it, turning the drawback into a punishment loop.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Fateful Absence earns its slot as unconditional spot removal that scales to any threat regardless of size, protection, or hexproof workarounds — the clue rider barely matters when you're answering a game-winning permanent at instant speed. In Modern and Pioneer, it competes against cheaper or cleaner options like March of Otherworldly Light and Prismatic Ending, so it sits on the fringe rather than in mainboards. Legacy has access to so much efficient removal that Fateful Absence rarely shows up outside niche white shells. Across formats, the verdict is the same: run it where unconditional instant-speed removal is hard to find, which mostly means Commander.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data isn't available for Fateful Absence right now, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for current market figures. Historically it's settled into bulk-rare territory, which makes it an easy inclusion — most copies are well under a dollar.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.