Soul Shatter
Instant
Each opponent sacrifices a creature or planeswalker with the greatest mana value among creatures and planeswalkers they control.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Zendikar Rising Promos
- Price
- $4.61
- EDHREC rank
- #1129
Soul Shatter hits every opponent for one black mana, forcing each to sacrifice their most valuable creature or planeswalker — that's a three-for-one at instant speed in a four-player game. Malik, Grim Manipulator turns those forced sacrifices into copied triggers, making Soul Shatter one of the most efficient setup spells in the deck.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Malik, Grim Manipulator
Soul Shatter forces three opponents to sacrifice their best permanent, and Malik, Grim Manipulator copies each of those sacrifice triggers — one black mana snowballs into a board-clear and a triple-trigger payoff simultaneously.
Vincent Valentine
Vincent Valentine cares about creatures dying and transforming threats, so Soul Shatter's forced sacrifices across the table feed his engine while neutralizing the most dangerous opposing permanent in each player's control.
Toshiro Umezawa
Toshiro Umezawa lets you flash back instants from the graveyard whenever a creature dies, and Soul Shatter guarantees at least three creatures hit graveyards the turn you cast it — that's a near-certain flashback trigger for one black mana.
Sarulf, Realm Eater
Sarulf, Realm Eater grows a counter for each permanent that dies under opponents' control, and Soul Shatter reliably kills three permanents at once, spiking his size and threatening a board wipe immediately after.
Tergrid, God of Fright
Soul Shatter forces opponents to sacrifice permanents, which is exactly the text Tergrid, God of Fright was waiting for — you cast one removal spell and walk away with up to three stolen creatures or planeswalkers.
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 |
Commander is Soul Shatter's home: the four-player structure turns a one-mana spell into a three-for-one that always snipes the most dangerous threat at each seat. In 1v1 formats like Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it's a single-target edict — legal but outclassed by Thoughtseize effects or more precise removal, since opponents can easily sacrifice a token or a less relevant creature. Vintage has enough broken permanents that a targeted edict sees fringe use, but again the spell loses most of its scale without multiple opponents. Stick to Commander, where Soul Shatter consistently punches far above its mana cost.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$4.61 cheap tier
At $4.61, Soul Shatter sits at the high end of the budget tier but is still cheap for a spell that consistently generates three-for-one value in Commander. The price is fair and unlikely to crater given how broadly it fits black decks — this is a buy-and-forget inclusion, not a card you need to hunt a deal on.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Malik, Grim Manipulator
- Vincent Valentine
- Toshiro Umezawa
- Sarulf, Realm Eater
- Tergrid, God of Fright
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.