Sinister Strength
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +3/+1 and is black.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Planeshift
- Price
- $0.17
- EDHREC rank
- #26161
Sinister Strength gives a creature +3/+1 and intimidate for a single black mana — that's a real stat bump attached to a relevant evasion keyword. It's a Limited card, and outside of that context it doesn't clear the bar for competitive Constructed or Commander.
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 |
Sinister Strength is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but meaningful play exists only in Pauper, where common-only aura strategies occasionally want cheap, impactful pump spells. In Commander, a one-shot +3/+1 with no lasting board presence doesn't justify a slot — the format is too multiplayer and too removal-heavy for sorcery-speed auras that trade down when the creature dies. Legacy and Vintage have access to strictly more powerful effects at the same cost, so Sinister Strength sees no real play there either.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.17 bulk tier
At $0.17, Sinister Strength sits firmly in bulk territory and will stay there. There's no competitive demand pulling the price up, so treat it as a free inclusion if you need it and nothing more.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.