Harsh Justice
Instant
Cast this spell only during the declare attackers step and only if you've been attacked this step.
This turn, whenever an attacking creature deals combat damage to you, it deals that much damage to its controller.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Portal
- Price
- $16.20
- EDHREC rank
- #22411
Harsh Justice redirects all damage from a combat attack back onto the attacking creatures, punishing alpha strikes at instant speed for just three mana. It's a niche white combat trick that earns its slot in defensive or pillow-fort strategies and almost nowhere else.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Harsh Justice has any real home — it punishes the wide, go-for-the-throat attacks that define multiplayer tables, and the political deterrent of leaving three mana open is real. Outside of Commander, the card is legal in Legacy and Vintage but sees no competitive play in either; creature combat in those formats moves too fast and at too high a power level for a three-mana redirect effect to matter. Oathbreaker is legal but shares Commander's logic: it helps in creature-heavy metas and fades everywhere else.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Fog effects like Holy Day and Darkness cost a fraction of a dollar and buy the same 'survive this attack' outcome without the damage redirection upside. If the goal is actually punishing attackers rather than just surviving, Bathe in Light and Comeuppance offer similar blowout potential — Comeuppance in particular does most of what Harsh Justice does at a lower price point and hits noncombat damage too.
Price Context
Current price
$16.20 mid tier
At $16.20, Harsh Justice sits in mid-tier pricing for a card with very narrow Commander applications — that price is driven by age and scarcity rather than demand. It's unlikely to trend upward given how rarely it makes competitive lists, so treat the price as a ceiling, not a floor.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.