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Khârn the Betrayer

Legendary Creature — Astartes Berserker

Berzerker — Khârn the Betrayer attacks or blocks each combat if able.
Sigil of Corruption — When you lose control of Khârn the Betrayer, draw two cards.
The Betrayer — If damage would be dealt to Khârn the Betrayer, prevent that damage and an opponent of your choice gains control of it.

CMC
4
Mana cost
{3}{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
rare
Set
Warhammer 40,000 Commander
Price
$7.60
EDHREC rank
#4461
Buy on TCGplayer
Khârn the Betrayer card art
Khârn the Betrayer hits the board as a massive 9/6 trampler that forces an opponent to take control of it — giving you exactly the kind of chaos piece that donate-and-punish strategies have wanted. The cost is real: you lose your own creature, so you need a plan to exploit the handoff, which is exactly why Daring Thief and Zidane, Tantalus Thief are natural companions.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Zidane, Tantalus Thief

Zidane, Tantalus Thief

45.1% of decks · synergy 0.44

Zidane, Tantalus Thief is the most purpose-built home for Khârn the Betrayer — Zidane's triggered ability lets you steal permanents whenever a creature deals combat damage, so handing off a 9/6 trampler that will almost certainly connect turns the forced donation into a two-step value engine.

02
Iroh, Tea Master

Iroh, Tea Master

43.9% of decks · synergy 0.43

Iroh, Tea Master rewards giving gifts to opponents with card draw and life gain triggers, making Khârn the Betrayer's forced handoff a repeatable source of value rather than a liability.

03
Blim, Comedic Genius

Blim, Comedic Genius

42.3% of decks · synergy 0.40

Blim, Comedic Genius wins by donating permanent burdens to opponents, and Khârn the Betrayer fits that gameplan cleanly — the opponent who inherits a 9/6 that keeps giving itself away becomes a pressure point the rest of the table has to answer.

04
Zedruu the Greathearted

Zedruu the Greathearted

38.2% of decks · synergy 0.37

Zedruu the Greathearted draws cards and gains life for each permanent you own that opponents control, so Khârn the Betrayer's donate trigger converts directly into Zedruu's engine — more donated permanents, more resources.

05
Xantcha, Sleeper Agent

Xantcha, Sleeper Agent

34.7% of decks · synergy 0.33

Xantcha, Sleeper Agent already puts a creature into an opponent's control by design, so Khârn the Betrayer slotting into that same shell adds another forced-handoff threat that pressures opponents from two angles simultaneously.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern not legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is the format Khârn the Betrayer was built for — four players means the forced donation almost always lands on a threat rather than a friend, and the political pressure of a 9/6 trample bouncing around the table generates real chaos. In Legacy and Vintage, where it's technically legal, the donate mechanic is far too slow and situational to compete with the format's threat density; it won't see play there. Oathbreaker is the one non-Commander 60-card format worth mentioning — in a lower-power Oathbreaker pod the forced handoff can be disruptive, but the card's power is genuinely multiplayer-dependent, and it scales down badly in smaller games.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

If Khârn the Betrayer is out of reach, Donate and Harmless Offering both enable the core give-away line for under a dollar, though they require you to already control something worth donating rather than generating their own threat. Bazaar Trader is the closest budget creature analogue — it repeatedly hands off permanents you control — but it lacks the built-in 9/6 body that makes Khârn the Betrayer a genuine combat threat on top of its political text.

Price Context

Current price

$7.60 mid tier

At $7.60, Khârn the Betrayer sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate include, cheap enough that the ask is reasonable for the unique effect it provides. It's a niche card in a niche archetype, so the price is unlikely to climb unless donate strategies pick up serious competitive momentum.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.