Grasp of Darkness
Instant
Target creature gets -4/-4 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Scars of Mirrodin
- Price
- $0.27
- EDHREC rank
- #10742
Grasp of Darkness drops a creature's power and toughness by -4/-4 until end of turn — at instant speed, for two mana, with no targeting restriction beyond creature. Massacre Girl, Known Killer aside, this is one of black's cleanest two-mana answers to anything with 4 or less toughness, and the price in both mana and dollars makes it a no-brainer inclusion.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Massacre Girl, Known Killer
Massacre Girl, Known Killer triggers her wither-style cascade whenever a creature gets a -1/-1 counter, and Grasp of Darkness's -4/-4 lands as four separate counters — turning a single instant into a potential boardwipe chain at instant speed.
K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth converts black mana pips into life payments, meaning Grasp of Darkness can be cast for a single colorless mana and 4 life — effectively free interaction in a deck that often wins before the life cost matters.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Grasp of Darkness is a reliable budget removal spell that cleans up utility creatures, hatebears, and early threats without requiring any setup. It's legal in Legacy, Vintage, and Modern, though two-mana sorcery-speed removal has long been outclassed there by Fatal Push and Terminate — Grasp of Darkness fills a niche in Pauper, where the card pool is shallow enough that instant-speed -4/-4 at common rarity is genuinely competitive. Pioneer gives it more room to breathe than Modern, but even there it's a fringe roleplayer rather than a staple.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.27 bulk tier
At $0.27, Grasp of Darkness is deep bulk — you're unlikely to find it cheaper, and it's been printed often enough that the price floor is stable. Pick it up without a second thought; it's not going anywhere.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.