Hand of Death
Sorcery
Destroy target nonblack creature.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Starter 2000
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #26217
Hand of Death kills a non-black creature at instant speed for one black mana — that's the whole card, and that rate is fine. The color restriction is real enough that it belongs in mono-black or heavily black shells only.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Hand of Death is a cheap piece of targeted removal that punishes the green, red, white, and artifact creature-heavy boards that dominate most tables — the non-black clause rarely bites you. In Pauper, the format's density of efficient removal means Hand of Death competes in a crowded field and rarely makes the cut over something like Vendetta or Snuff Out. Legacy and Vintage have access to that same deep removal pool, so Hand of Death sees no meaningful play there. It's a Commander bulk-bin pickup for decks that want cheap, instant-speed interaction and don't need to kill black creatures.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Hand of Death is deep bulk — you're not paying for scarcity, you're paying for cardboard. The price is stable because demand is low and copies are plentiful; don't expect movement in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.