Killian, Decisive Mentor
Legendary Creature — Human Warlock
Whenever an enchantment you control enters, tap up to one target creature and goad it. (Until your next turn, that creature attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than you if able.)
Whenever one or more creatures that are enchanted by an Aura you control attack, draw a card.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BW
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Secrets of Strixhaven Commander
- Price
- $1.38
- EDHREC rank
- #10372
Killian, Decisive Mentor halves the mana cost of every Aura and pump spell you cast — a permanent cost reduction that compounds fast in any deck built around enchanting creatures. Eriette of the Charmed Apple decks are the obvious home, but any Orzhov shell leaning on Auras runs him because the discount is simply too efficient to pass up.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Eriette of the Charmed Apple
Eriette of the Charmed Apple drains opponents for each Aura attached to their creatures, so stacking Auras is the whole game plan — Killian, Decisive Mentor makes that stack cheaper every single turn, letting the engine run a full turn ahead of schedule.
Eriette, the Beguiler
Eriette, the Beguiler steals creatures by enchanting them, and Killian, Decisive Mentor cuts the cost of every enchantment that enables those steals, making it trivial to hit multiple targets in the same turn.
Killian, Ink Duelist
Killian, Ink Duelist already reduces Aura costs by two on his own, so pairing him with Killian, Decisive Mentor creates a stacking discount that can make pump spells and small Auras effectively free.
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 Killian, Decisive Mentor does his best work — a 60-card format rarely dedicates enough slots to Auras to make a cost reducer this narrow worth the slot, but a 99-card Aura-heavy deck can consistently trigger the discount every turn of the game. Legacy and Vintage are both legal but uninterested; faster, more consistent cost reduction exists in those formats and Killian doesn't fit any established archetype. Oathbreaker is the one non-Commander format where he could see a sliver of play if the signature spell is an Aura, but that's a narrow ask.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.38 cheap tier
At $1.38, Killian, Decisive Mentor sits in the cheap tier — low enough that inclusion in any Orzhov Aura build is a no-brainer budget decision. The price is likely stable; he's not a staple outside his niche, but that niche is consistent enough to keep demand from bottoming out.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.