Is Rune of Mortality good in Commander?

Rune of Mortality

Enchantment — Aura Rune

Enchant permanent
When this Aura enters, draw a card.
As long as enchanted permanent is a creature, it has deathtouch.
As long as enchanted permanent is an Equipment, it has "Equipped creature has deathtouch."

CMC: 2
Mana cost
Color identity: B
Rarity: uncommon
Set: Kaldheim
Price: $0.27
EDHREC rank: #8211

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Rune of Mortality gives a creature deathtouch as a cheap Aura that replaces itself on entry — the card draw alone justifies the slot, and the deathtouch payload turns any pinged creature into a removal spell. The engine it feeds, most visibly Kelsien, the Plague paired with Thornbite Staff, goes infinite the moment deathtouch is online.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

Kelsien, the Plague

73.9% of decks · synergy 0.73

Kelsien, the Plague's tap ability kills anything once it has deathtouch, and Rune of Mortality is the cheapest way to grant it — slap it on Kelsien, add Thornbite Staff, and you have a loop that wipes every creature at the table.

Eriette, the Beguiler

25.9% of decks · synergy 0.25

Eriette, the Beguiler wants Auras in volume to trigger her drain-and-gain payoffs, and Rune of Mortality fits the curve perfectly — it counts as an Aura, replaces itself, and incidentally makes whatever it enchants lethal to block.

Eriette of the Charmed Apple

18.6% of decks · synergy 0.17

Eriette of the Charmed Apple taxes opponents for controlling enchanted creatures, so sticking Rune of Mortality on an opponent's blocker locks it down politically and keeps the Aura count climbing for her passive.

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 where Rune of Mortality actually matters — the Kelsien, the Plague combo is its primary reason for existing in any 99, and the free card draw makes it a low-risk include in any Aura or enchantment-matters shell. In eternal formats like Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it's technically legal but competes with far more efficient deathtouch enablers and enchantment payoffs, so it rarely sees play outside niche brews. Vintage and Oathbreaker have the same story: legal on paper, mostly irrelevant in practice. Rune of Mortality is a Commander card through and through.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

99 decks