Giant Killer // Chop Down
Creature — Human Peasant // Instant — Adventure
, 
: Tap target creature.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $1.17
- EDHREC rank
- #6788
Giant Killer // Chop Down taps a creature on the front and destroys any creature with power 4 or greater on the back — removal and tempo on one card for a combined two or three mana. Gorion, Wise Mentor decks run it at near-universal rates because the adventure half is a castable spell that triggers Gorion before Chop Down ever resolves.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Gorion, Wise Mentor
Gorion, Wise Mentor triggers whenever you cast an Adventure spell, and Giant Killer // Chop Down delivers two separate triggers — the tap effect and the destroy — while also serving as a legitimate threat answer for any fatty on the table.
Hylda of the Icy Crown
Hylda of the Icy Crown cares about tapping your opponents' creatures, and the front face of Giant Killer // Chop Down does exactly that for one white mana, immediately triggering Hylda's token or card-draw payoffs.
God-Eternal Oketra
God-Eternal Oketra rewards low-cost creatures that keep the board interaction rolling, and Giant Killer // Chop Down slots in as a one-drop that generates a 4/4 Zombie token on cast while holding Chop Down in exile for a later threat.
Katilda, Dawnhart Prime
Katilda, Dawnhart Prime wants a dense Human count, and Giant Killer // Chop Down is a Human that doubles as a removal spell — it contributes to the creature count for mana production without sacrificing interaction.
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, Giant Killer // Chop Down earns its slot as a one-drop Human that answers the format's most common threats — anything with power 4 or greater covers commanders, eldrazi, and most token-anthem finishers. In Modern and Pioneer, the adventure structure is the appeal: it lets you trade one mana to slow an aggressive creature while banking the destroy half for a midgame bomb, giving white aggressive and tempo decks a flexible tool. Legacy has better options at every step, so the card rarely sees play there despite being legal. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander read — low-cost interaction that synergizes with adventure and Human payoffs is exactly what the format rewards.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.17 cheap tier
At $1.17, Giant Killer // Chop Down sits at the low end of functional uncommons with real Commander demand — you're not overpaying for the effect. The price is unlikely to climb significantly given multiple printings, but it's a no-brainer pickup at this rate for any deck that can use it.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.