Slaughter Cry
Instant
Target creature gets +3/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn. (It deals combat damage before creatures without first strike.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Zendikar
- Price
- $0.06
- EDHREC rank
- #27407
Slaughter Cry pumps a creature +3/+0 with first strike until end of turn for three mana at instant speed — functional, but three mana for a temporary stat boost is a losing exchange in any competitive context. It sees play almost exclusively in Limited, where combat tricks win games; in Constructed formats it's outclassed before the discussion starts.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Slaughter Cry is a Limited card that wandered into Constructed legality. In Commander, a three-mana instant that trades for nothing permanent is below the bar — the format demands cards that generate lasting advantage, and Slaughter Cry is gone the moment the turn ends. Pauper is the one Constructed context where combat tricks occasionally earn a slot, but even there the three-mana cost makes it slow for an aggro format that prizes efficiency. Legacy and Vintage are non-starters; the card doesn't interact with anything those formats care about.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.06 bulk tier
At $0.06, Slaughter Cry is deep bulk — the kind of card that fills out a commons box. There is no price floor to speak of, and nothing in its design suggests that changes.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.