Mark for Death
Sorcery
Target creature an opponent controls blocks this turn if able. Untap that creature. Other creatures that player controls can't block this turn.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Gatecrash
- Price
- $0.11
- EDHREC rank
- #24828
Mark for Death forces one creature to block alone, then taps the rest of the defending player's board — a clean way to push through an alpha strike or eliminate a problem blocker without a direct removal spell. Four mana at sorcery speed is a real cost, and it does nothing without attackers, so it earns a slot only in decks that reliably want to go wide and swing.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Mark for Death is a Commander card through and through — the political texture of multiplayer combat, where one player sitting behind a wall of blockers needs to be cracked open, is exactly where this shines. In 1v1 formats like Legacy, Modern, or Pioneer it's nearly unplayable: a four-mana sorcery that requires you to already have attackers and a wide enough board to benefit from the tap effect can't compete with efficient removal or combat tricks. Commander is the one format where the math works, specifically in go-wide aggressive strategies that need a way to push damage past a single large blocker or a chump-block army.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.11 bulk tier
At $0.11, Mark for Death is deep bulk — you'll find copies in any common box or bulk bin for a dime. It won't appreciate; niche combat tricks at four mana rarely see reprint demand or price spikes, so buy it for the effect and don't expect the price to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.