Pounce
Instant
Target creature you control fights target creature you don't control. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Jumpstart 2022
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #12728
Pounce is a one-mana instant that forces a creature to fight — it answers a threat at sorcery-speed cost for the cheapest possible price tag. In Commander shells built around Neyith of the Dire Hunt, it doubles as a triggered draw engine, making it pull double duty that most removal can't claim.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Neyith of the Dire Hunt
Neyith of the Dire Hunt triggers a card draw whenever one of your creatures fights, so Pounce isn't just removal — it's a one-mana cantrip that also kills something, which is exactly the redundancy that makes the deck consistent.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Pounce earns its slot in any green deck that wants cheap instant-speed interaction, and it's close to mandatory in fight-matters builds led by commanders like Neyith of the Dire Hunt. In Pauper it's a legitimate sideboard option against aggressive creature strategies, where a one-mana fight spell can trade up efficiently. Competitive formats like Modern and Legacy have better options — Snakeskin Veil, Rabid Bite, and actual hard removal all outclass Pounce when the card pool is deep — so it doesn't see play there. Across all formats, the ceiling is Commander, and specifically in decks that reward the act of fighting rather than just the result.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Pounce is bulk — the kind of card you grab out of a commons box without thinking twice. Bulk commons don't appreciate, but they don't need to; the value is entirely in what it does on the board, not what it does in a binder.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.