Profane Command
Sorcery
Choose two —
• Target player loses X life.
• Return target creature card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
• Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn.
• Up to X target creatures gain fear until end of turn. (They can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Starter Commander Decks
- Price
- $0.25
- EDHREC rank
- #4808
Profane Command is four effects on one card — drain life, reanimate a creature, give a creature fear, kill a target creature — and you pick two at cast time, scaling the power with however much mana you pour in. The flexibility alone justifies the slot, but in a Zaxara, the Exemplary deck it also leaves behind a Hydra token, making every copy a two-for-one before you even resolve the modes.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Zaxara, the Exemplary
Zaxara, the Exemplary triggers on any spell with X in its cost, so Profane Command doubles as a Hydra factory while still resolving two meaningful modes — reanimate a key creature and drain an opponent, or kill a blocker and grant fear to swing through.
Horobi, Death's Wail
Horobi, Death's Wail turns any targeting effect into a kill spell, and Profane Command's fear-granting mode targets a creature — so you pay two mana for a creature that instantly dies to Horobi, all while picking up a second free mode like drain or reanimation.
Kardur, Doomscourge
Kardur, Doomscourge wants opponents swinging at each other, and Profane Command's fear mode can make a creature unblockable enough to redirect combat damage where it hurts most, while the drain mode closes out a player already softened by forced attacks.
Kamiz, Obscura Oculus
Kamiz, Obscura Oculus rewards getting creatures through unblocked, and Profane Command's fear mode is a clean way to make your best attacker effectively unblockable against black-or-artifact-light opponents, with the reanimation mode as a recovery tool if that creature gets removed.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Profane Command earns its keep — the format's longer games and life totals above 40 make the drain mode relevant late, and the reanimation mode scales with whatever high-value creature you've lost along the way. Legacy and Vintage have access to it but the competition at that rate is brutal; a two-mana unconditional spell, a three-mana tutor, or a zero-cost piece of fast mana all outcompete a modal spell that needs five or six mana to really sing. Modern is similar — Profane Command is technically legal but has never found a home because the format punishes tapping out at sorcery speed for mid-impact effects. Stick to Commander, where the modal flexibility and mana scaling are genuine selling points rather than liabilities.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.25 bulk tier
At $0.25, Profane Command is outright bulk — you'll find it in a common box or tossed into a trade binder as filler. The price is unlikely to move meaningfully given multiple printings and low competitive demand outside Commander.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Zaxara, the Exemplary
- Horobi, Death's Wail
- Kardur, Doomscourge
- Kamiz, Obscura Oculus
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.