Misery Charm
Instant
Choose one —
• Destroy target Cleric.
• Return target Cleric card from your graveyard to your hand.
• Target player loses 2 life.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Onslaught
- Price
- $0.28
- EDHREC rank
- #22767
Misery Charm does three things on one card for one mana — destroy a Cleric, return a Cleric from your graveyard, or drain an opponent for 2 — and that modal flexibility is exactly why Orah, Skyclave Hierophant decks want it. It won't win a game by itself, but a one-mana instant that fits three different board situations almost never sits dead in hand.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant triggers whenever a Cleric you control dies, pulling another Cleric back from the yard — and Misery Charm closes that loop by either sacrificing a Cleric to fuel the chain or directly returning one when you need a specific piece.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Misery Charm is a role-player in dedicated Cleric tribal builds and little else — the drain mode is negligible at 40 life, so you're running it for the graveyard recursion or spot removal in a shell that cares about both. Pauper is where the card has historically seen the most competitive daylight, slotting into black aggro and sacrifice lists that can leverage all three modes across a game. Legacy and Vintage have it legal but ignore it entirely — the ceiling is too low for formats with access to far more powerful one-drops. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander: niche tribal playability, not a format staple.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.28 bulk tier
At $0.28, Misery Charm is firmly bulk — you're paying for convenience, not scarcity. Bulk commons this narrow don't appreciate; buy it because you need it, not because you expect it to be worth more later.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.