Scare Tactics
Instant
Creatures you control get +1/+0 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Exodus
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #29102
Scare Tactics kills a creature for one mana — but only if you control a Goblin, Zombie, Vampire, or Werewolf, which is a real restriction that keeps it out of generalist lists. In tribal decks that meet the condition consistently, it's legitimate one-mana removal; everywhere else, it's a blank.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Scare Tactics is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but the format where it actually sees play is Commander, specifically inside creature-type-matters tribal shells. In Pauper it's technically available, but one-mana removal at common has better competition and the tribal condition is harder to reliably satisfy in a two-player format. Legacy and Vintage have no interest — unconditional one-mana removal exists there, and Scare Tactics doesn't make the cut. In Commander, the tribal restriction is a feature as much as a limitation: Zombie and Vampire decks run enough creatures to turn this on by turn two, and a removal spell that costs one mana is worth building around when the condition is free to meet.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Scare Tactics is deep bulk — easy to pick up in a trade binder or a discount bin without thinking twice. The price is stable at the floor; there's no scenario where a one-mana conditional removal spell in a niche tribal slot pressures supply enough to move the needle.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.