Subtle Strike
Instant
Choose one or both —
• Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
• Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Zendikar Rising
- Price
- $0.05
- EDHREC rank
- #19369
Subtle Strike puts a +1/+1 counter and a -1/-1 counter on one or two targets — cheap stat manipulation that doubles as a kill condition the moment Horobi, Death's Wail is on the battlefield. Two mana for a targeted effect is the floor for playability, and outside the Horobi shell this card rarely clears that bar.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Horobi, Death's Wail
Horobi, Death's Wail turns any targeting effect into a death sentence, so Subtle Strike becomes a two-mana instant-speed Murder that also buffs one of your creatures — the +1/+1 counter still resolves even as the targeted creature dies.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Subtle Strike is a Commander card in practice — specifically a Horobi, Death's Wail card. In every other constructed format it's outclassed: Modern, Pioneer, and Legacy all have cheaper, unconditional removal that doesn't require a companion piece on board to be threatening. Pauper is where Subtle Strike is most plausible outside EDH, since common-legal removal is constrained enough that modal effects have more room, but even there the two-mana instant slot is crowded. Play Subtle Strike if you're building around the targeting-matters axis; otherwise leave it in the bulk bin.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.05 bulk tier
At $0.05, Subtle Strike is pure bulk — you're paying for cardboard and shipping, not the card. Demand is narrow enough that the price is unlikely to move unless a new Horobi-style commander pushes the archetype into wider play.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.