Grotesque Mutation
Instant
Target creature gets +3/+1 and gains lifelink until end of turn. (Damage dealt by the creature also causes its controller to gain that much life.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Shadows over Innistrad
- Price
- $0.07
- EDHREC rank
- #18359
Grotesque Mutation gives a creature lifelink and +1/+2 until end of turn for a single black mana — the stat pump is modest, but stapling lifelink onto an attacking threat mid-combat can swing a life total race on the spot. It's a fine limited trick and an occasionally useful tool in dedicated lifegain shells, but too narrow and low-impact for most Commander 99s.
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, Grotesque Mutation is a fringe inclusion — aggressive lifegain commanders like Liesa, Shroud of Dusk or Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose can squeeze value from the lifelink clause, but one-shot combat tricks rarely justify a slot in a 99-card singleton format where card advantage is at a premium. Pauper is its most competitive home, where cheap combat tricks are genuinely playable and the combination of pump and lifelink can close races in black aggressive builds. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer, Grotesque Mutation is simply outclassed — those formats have efficient removal and better combat tricks at the same cost. Oathbreaker narrows the card pool enough that it becomes plausible in a lifegain-themed build, but it's still not a first pick.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.07 bulk tier
At $0.07, Grotesque Mutation is deep bulk — you're not buying it for value, you're pulling it from a common box. That price is stable by definition; there's no meaningful demand to move it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.