Sudden Strike
Instant
Destroy target attacking or blocking creature.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Through the Omenpaths
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #11357
Sudden Strike gives a creature +2/+0 and first strike until end of turn — it's a combat trick that wins races and kills blockers your opponent thought were safe. Miles Morales is the engine that makes it worth a slot, but outside that pairing it's too narrow to compete with instants that trade up in card advantage.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Miles Morales
Miles Morales triggers off instants and sorceries cast during combat, so Sudden Strike pulls double duty — it pumps him through a block and fires his ability in the same window, turning a single mana into a first-striking, ability-triggering threat that most decks aren't prepared for.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Sudden Strike is a Miles Morales card first and a combat trick second — without that specific trigger to exploit, a one-mana pump spell rarely justifies a slot in a 99-card deck. In 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, first strike grants can close games when timed around double-strike creatures or creatures with death-touch, but Sudden Strike faces stiff competition from tricks that replace themselves or provide additional utility. Legacy and Vintage have enough raw power that a vanilla +2/+0 first strike instant won't make the cut outside of very narrow aggro shells. Standard is the most hospitable environment after Miles Morales decks, where the card's legality and low cost let budget builds lean on it as a finisher in combat-centric aggro.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Sudden Strike isn't currently available, so check Scryfall or your preferred retailer for the current market rate. Given its narrow application outside Miles Morales decks, it's almost certainly a bulk common or uncommon — pick it up without hesitation if you're building that deck.
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Sources
Mentioned
- Miles Morales
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.