Inevitable Betrayal
Sorcery
Suspend 3—
(Rather than cast this card from your hand, pay and exile it with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, you may cast it without paying its mana cost.)
Search target opponent's library for a creature card and put that card onto the battlefield under your control. Then that player shuffles.
- CMC
- 0
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Magic Online Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #2987
Inevitable Betrayal lets you steal the best creature in any opponent's library — not their hand, not their battlefield, their library — and put it directly into play under your control. The cost is zero mana once the suspend counters run out, but you're committing to a three-turn clock the moment you cast it, so it rewards decks that can plan around the delay rather than react to threats.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Tetsuo, Imperial Champion
Tetsuo, Imperial Champion cares about instants and equipment synergies that reward proactive deckbuilding, and Inevitable Betrayal slots in as a zero-mana threat-answer that resolves on your schedule — over half of Tetsuo lists already run it.
Myra the Magnificent
Myra the Magnificent's spellslinger-plus-value engine wants free spells and high-impact payoffs, and Inevitable Betrayal delivers both: it costs nothing when it resolves and walks the best creature off an opponent's deck.
The Tenth Doctor // Rose Tyler
The Tenth Doctor // Rose Tyler thrives on casting cards exiled from unusual zones, and Inevitable Betrayal's suspend mechanic puts a card in exactly that position — suspended cards are prime fodder for effects that care about playing exiled cards.
Quandrix, the Proof
Quandrix, the Proof operates in a spell-density shell where cost reduction and free casts compound quickly, making Inevitable Betrayal's zero-mana resolution a natural fit for the engine.
Abaddon the Despoiler
Abaddon the Despoiler triggers cascade off spells cast, and Inevitable Betrayal's mana value of zero when it finally resolves means it slides under cascade thresholds cleanly — Abaddon lists run it at over 44% inclusion for exactly that reason.
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 Inevitable Betrayal does its best work: three turns is a manageable timeline in a 40-life multiplayer game, and stealing the single best creature off any opponent's library at zero mana is a massive tempo swing that scales with whatever the strongest deck at the table is running. In Legacy and Vintage, the suspend delay is punishing in a format where games can end before the counters clear, and there are faster, more consistent ways to cheat creatures into play — Inevitable Betrayal sees virtually no competitive play there. Oathbreaker sits closer to Commander in pace, so the card is at least functional, though the smaller deck size reduces variance on what you're stealing.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Inevitable Betrayal isn't currently available in our index, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live number before buying. Given its high inclusion rates in several popular commanders, demand is real — don't assume it's bulk without checking.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Tetsuo, Imperial Champion
- Myra the Magnificent
- The Tenth Doctor // Rose Tyler
- Quandrix, the Proof
- Abaddon the Despoiler
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.