Ruinous Ultimatum
Sorcery
Destroy all nonland permanents your opponents control.
- CMC
- 7
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BRW
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Special Guests
- Price
- $13.95
- EDHREC rank
- #635
Ruinous Ultimatum destroys every permanent your opponents control — no limitations, no exceptions — and it does it at sorcery speed for seven mana in Mardu colors. The cost is real, but Caesar, Legion's Emperor and any other token-flood commander can hit seven mana while leaving a full board standing, which means the asymmetry is crushing.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Caesar, Legion's Emperor
Caesar, Legion's Emperor floods the board with tokens before Ruinous Ultimatum resolves, so the spell reads 'destroy everything your opponents control while you keep an army' — the asymmetry is the whole game plan.
Terra, Herald of Hope
Terra, Herald of Hope generates enough mana acceleration and board presence that casting Ruinous Ultimatum on curve is realistic, and the lifegain buffer Terra provides means you can afford to tap out without dying on the crackback.
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 |
Commander is the only format where Ruinous Ultimatum earns its slot without apology — hitting three opponents' boards simultaneously makes a seven-mana sorcery one of the most efficient spells in the game. In Modern or Pioneer, a three-color seven-drop that doesn't win on the spot is functionally unplayable; Sunfall or Farewell outperform it at lower cost with easier mana. Legacy and Vintage have the same problem compounded: the format is too fast and efficient one-for-ones dominate. Stick to Commander, where Ruinous Ultimatum is a genuine closer.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Merciless Eviction is the closest analogue at under a dollar — it hits all permanents of a chosen type and exiles them, which dodges indestructible, though it targets one type at a time rather than everything at once. If the goal is pure board erasure, Austere Command offers flexibility at a similar price point, but neither replicates the totalizing destruction Ruinous Ultimatum delivers in a single spell.
Price Context
Current price
$13.95 mid tier
At $13.95, Ruinous Ultimatum sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate include but not a budget-breaker for an established collection. It's a staple in its color identity with no direct functional reprint, so the price is unlikely to crater without a Standard-legal reprint driving supply up.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.