Pistus Strike
Instant
Destroy target creature with flying. Its controller gets a poison counter.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Mirrodin Besieged
- Price
- $0.08
- EDHREC rank
- #18426
Pistus Strike kills a creature and leaves a poison counter on the opponent — two effects for three mana at instant speed. The rate is mediocre compared to unconditional removal, but the poison rider is a real effect in dedicated infect builds.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Pistus Strike is niche: infect decks want every poison vector they can get, and the instant-speed kill plus counter is a legitimate two-for-one in that context, but outside infect it's just an overcosted removal spell. In Pauper it's legal but competes with Doom Blade, Cast Down, and a dozen cleaner options at the same cost. Legacy and Vintage have no interest in it. The honest Commander verdict is that Pistus Strike earns a slot in exactly one archetype and zero others.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.08 bulk tier
At $0.08, Pistus Strike is deep bulk — you'll find copies in any common box at your local store. The price will stay flat; there's no scenario where demand pushes a narrow infect instant past bulk territory.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.