Ruthless Instincts
Instant
Choose one —
• Target nonattacking creature gains reach and deathtouch until end of turn. Untap it.
• Target attacking creature gets +2/+2 and gains trample until end of turn.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Fate Reforged
- Price
- $0.07
- EDHREC rank
- #23798
Ruthless Instincts turns any non-Human creature into a surprise blocker and a fight machine on the same instant — reach plus trample plus forced combat damage is a lot of text for two mana. It's a combat trick that doubles as removal, and that's the whole reason to run it.
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 |
Ruthless Instincts is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it's effectively a Commander card — the formats with faster clocks and more efficient removal suites have no interest in a two-mana trick that requires a non-Human creature already in play. In Commander, the card earns its slot in creature-heavy green decks that want instant-speed interaction: it blocks a flier that would otherwise be uncontested, forces a fight to kill a utility creature, and gives trample to push through a combat step, all on one card at instant speed. Outside Commander, the competition from actual removal spells and combat tricks with narrower but more reliable effects pushes it out of any serious 60-card consideration.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.07 bulk tier
At $0.07, Ruthless Instincts is deep bulk — you'll find it in a commons box before you'll find it listed individually. That price is stable because demand is low and supply is high, so don't expect movement in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.