Mer-Ek Nightblade
Creature — Orc Assassin
Outlast 
(, 
: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. Outlast only as a sorcery.)
Each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it has deathtouch.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Khans of Tarkir
- Price
- $0.21
- EDHREC rank
- #12580
Mer-Ek Nightblade staples deathtouch onto every counter-bearing permanent you control for four mana — in a +1/+1 counter deck, that's a board-wide deterrent that makes opponents think twice about any attack. Four mana for a 3/2 with no immediate action is the real cost, and it gets cut when the shell can run effects that both add counters and threaten on their own.
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 |
Mer-Ek Nightblade is a Commander card through and through — the effect is too slow and too dependent on a built board state to compete in Legacy, Modern, or Pioneer, where games end before a four-mana 3/2 with a conditional anthem can matter. In Commander, it earns its slot specifically in counter-synergy decks: a single copy can grant deathtouch to ten or more permanents across a mid-game board, which is a disproportionate amount of deterrence for four mana. Outside of counter-heavy builds, though, four mana for a vanilla-sized body is just below rate, and more proactive four-drops will outperform it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.21 bulk tier
At $0.21, Mer-Ek Nightblade is deep bulk — you're picking it out of a dollar box or a collection rather than budgeting for it. Bulk rares with narrow homes tend to stay at this floor indefinitely, so there's no urgency either way; grab it when you need it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.