Gruesome Encore
Sorcery
Put target creature card from an opponent's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step. If that creature would leave the battlefield, exile it instead of putting it anywhere else.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Mirrodin Besieged
- Price
- $0.14
- EDHREC rank
- #18122
Gruesome Encore steals any creature from an opponent's graveyard, attacks with it, then exiles it at end of turn — three mana for a one-shot hijack that leaves nothing behind for them to recur. The exile clause is the catch, but Obeka, Brute Chronologist can skip the end step entirely, turning a temporary theft into a permanent one.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Obeka, Brute Chronologist
Obeka, Brute Chronologist's entire game plan revolves around skipping end steps to make 'temporary' effects permanent, and Gruesome Encore is one of the cleaner payoffs — end the turn before the exile trigger resolves and you own that creature forever.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Gruesome Encore earns its slot: graveyards fill fast in multiplayer, so the target pool is deep and the three-mana cost is trivial compared to what you can steal. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but rarely sees play — reanimation at sorcery speed for a single turn of use can't compete with Reanimate or Animate Dead. Modern has better options at the same price point and without the exile restriction. If you're playing Commander and your deck cares about end-step manipulation or opponent graveyards, Gruesome Encore overperforms its price tag.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.14 bulk tier
At $0.14, Gruesome Encore sits firmly in bulk territory and is unlikely to appreciate without a high-profile spike in Obeka builds or a reprint in a precon that drives visibility. Grab a copy whenever you're placing an order — there's no reason to pay more than bulk for it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.