Strongarm Tactics
Sorcery
Each player discards a card. Then each player who didn't discard a creature card this way loses 4 life.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Onslaught
- Price
- $0.39
- EDHREC rank
- #23529
Strongarm Tactics forces each opponent to discard a card, then lets each player draw one — net effect is a symmetrical refill with a mandatory discard trigger stapled to it. The card is only worth running when your deck profits from opponents discarding more than it profits from opponents drawing, which is a narrow window.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is the only format where Strongarm Tactics sees meaningful play, and even there it's a niche inclusion. At four players, it strips three cards from opponents before the refill, which makes it serviceable in discard-matters builds — Tinybones, Trinket Thief or Nekusar, the Mindrazer strategies that want hands emptied and punishment triggers stacking. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but functionally invisible; dedicated discard shells have stronger, more targeted options at the same or lower mana cost. Oathbreaker is legal but too small a format to matter here.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.39 bulk tier
At $0.39, Strongarm Tactics sits firmly in bulk territory and is unlikely to climb — it's a narrow effect on a card with no competitive demand pulling the price up. Grab a copy for your discard deck without thinking twice, but don't expect it to appreciate.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.