Inquisitor's Flail
Artifact — Equipment
If equipped creature would deal combat damage, it deals double that damage instead.
If another creature would deal combat damage to equipped creature, it deals double that damage to equipped creature instead.
Equip 
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Innistrad
- Price
- $1.46
- EDHREC rank
- #4242
Inquisitor's Flail doubles the damage your equipped creature deals in combat — and doubles the damage it takes. That symmetry is a steep ask in most shells, but in decks built around Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer, the self-damage clause becomes a feature, not a bug.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer
Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer converts damage dealt to itself into poison counters on opponents, so Inquisitor's Flail doubling incoming combat damage accelerates that clock rather than threatening a blowout.
Kotis, the Fangkeeper
Kotis, the Fangkeeper wants to push large chunks of damage through in a single swing, and Inquisitor's Flail's doubling effect turns each attack into a near-lethal threat without needing evasion or extra attack steps.
Zurgo Helmsmasher
Zurgo Helmsmasher is indestructible on your turn, which neuters the downside of Inquisitor's Flail entirely — you get the doubled output and absorb the doubled input without consequence.
Jared Carthalion, True Heir
Jared Carthalion, True Heir accumulates +1/+1 counters when he takes damage, so strapping on Inquisitor's Flail turns every block into a growth event while the doubled strike clears the board.
Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist // Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh
Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist moves Inquisitor's Flail for free at the start of combat, letting Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh — a 0/1 with first strike — land doubled damage on an opponent before any blocker can respond.
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 |
Inquisitor's Flail sees virtually no play in Legacy, Modern, or Vintage — those formats move too fast for a two-mana equipment that requires an additional equip investment and punishes you for blocking. Commander is where it lives, specifically in voltron and damage-synergy shells where the doubled-damage clause is either nullified (indestructible commanders) or exploited (self-damage payoffs). In Oathbreaker the card is legal but faces the same narrow-use problem: the right planeswalker-plus-signature-spell combination would have to specifically want to take more damage, which is rare. Treat Inquisitor's Flail as a Commander-only card in practice.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.46 cheap tier
At $1.46, Inquisitor's Flail sits in the buy-without-thinking tier — narrow enough that demand stays low, which keeps the price flat. It's not a card that appreciates; it's a card you grab for the specific deck that wants it and don't worry about.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer
- Kotis, the Fangkeeper
- Zurgo Helmsmasher
- Jared Carthalion, True Heir
- Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist // Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.