Snuff Out
Instant
If you control a Swamp, you may pay 4 life rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Destroy target nonblack creature. It can't be regenerated.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Media and Collaboration Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #775
Snuff Out kills any nonblack creature outright — no mana required if you control a Swamp and can pay 4 life. Y'shtola, Night's Blessed decks run it at a 76% clip precisely because free interaction at instant speed is the difference between stopping a threat and watching it untap.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Y'shtola, Night's Blessed
Y'shtola, Night's Blessed cares about casting spells during other players' turns to trigger her ability, and Snuff Out delivers free instant-speed removal that costs nothing but 4 life — exactly the kind of reactive spell that keeps her engine firing on opponents' end steps.
Toshiro Umezawa
Toshiro Umezawa lets you flash back instants from your graveyard whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, so Snuff Out does double duty — it kills a creature and then sits in the yard as a free-cast waiting for the next trigger.
Davros, Dalek Creator
Davros, Dalek Creator rewards you for making opponents lose life, and Snuff Out feeds that gameplan while removing a blocker, turning a free piece of removal into a two-for-one with Davros on board.
Rowan, Scion of War
Rowan, Scion of War reduces spell costs based on life lost, so paying 4 life for Snuff Out isn't a drawback — it's fuel, effectively making your next big spell cheaper while clearing a threat for free.
Zenos yae Galvus
Zenos yae Galvus is a life-loss payoff commander, and Snuff Out converts a creature kill into a life-loss trigger, letting you cash in on Zenos's ability while keeping the board clear at no mana cost.
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 |
In Commander, Snuff Out is one of the cleanest free pieces of removal in black — instant speed, unconditional on nonblack creatures, and the 4 life is trivial when you're starting at 40. Pauper is where it also sees serious play, since free interaction is exceptionally rare at the common slot and the life payment matters more at 20 life but is still routinely worth it. Legacy and Vintage legality is mostly academic — those formats have faster, more flexible options — but Snuff Out occasionally appears in black creature-based strategies that want a free answer at instant speed without touching their mana. It's not legal in Modern, Pioneer, or Standard, so Commander and Pauper are the real homes.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Snuff Out isn't currently available in the system, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for current market price before buying. It has been reprinted, which tends to keep the floor accessible, but original printings carry a premium — verify the specific printing you're buying.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Y'shtola, Night's Blessed
- Toshiro Umezawa
- Davros, Dalek Creator
- Rowan, Scion of War
- Zenos yae Galvus
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.