King's Assassin
Creature — Human Assassin
: Destroy target tapped creature. Activate only during your turn, before attackers are declared.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Mystery Booster 2
- Price
- $0.24
- EDHREC rank
- #20517
King's Assassin taps to destroy any tapped creature — unconditional, instant-speed removal on a 1/1 body for two mana. The cost is real: it does nothing the turn it enters, and it needs a target that's already committed to attacking or activating.
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 King's Assassin has any real home — three opponents mean plenty of tapped creatures to target, and the ability to repeatedly threaten removal keeps the table honest without spending a card from hand each time. In Legacy and Vintage it's a nostalgia pick at best; those formats move too fast and efficiently for a tap-to-activate 1/1 to compete with actual removal spells. Oathbreaker is theoretically legal but shares the same problem: the format is faster and more spell-dense, so a creature that passes priority before doing anything is a liability.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.24 bulk tier
At $0.24, King's Assassin is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard and postage, not the card. That price is stable simply because demand is low; this isn't a card that spikes.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.