Ruthless Sniper
Creature — Human Archer
Whenever you cycle or discard a card, you may pay 
. If you do, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Amonkhet
- Price
- $0.27
- EDHREC rank
- #17462
Ruthless Sniper turns every cycled card into a free -1/-1 counter on any target — at instant speed, with no mana cost beyond the cycle itself. One mana to put it into play, and it scales linearly with however many cycling outlets your deck runs.
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 Sniper is at its best in Commander, where cycling synergy decks — especially those built around Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons or dedicated cycling commanders — turn it into a repeatable removal engine for the cost of card filtering you were doing anyway. In Modern and Pioneer, it sees fringe play in dedicated cycling combo shells, but those decks usually want to close the game fast rather than grind with counters, so Ruthless Sniper rarely makes the cut over more explosive payoffs. Legacy has the same problem at a higher power ceiling — the cycling synergies that would support it simply don't compete with the format's speed. Oathbreaker is the closest analog to Commander in terms of viability, particularly in a black-centered cycling build.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.27 bulk tier
At $0.27, Ruthless Sniper is deep bulk — easy to pick up in a trade binder or as a throw-in. The price reflects its narrow home: outside of cycling-matters decks, demand stays low, so don't expect it to appreciate.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.