Tail Swipe
Instant
Choose target creature you control and target creature you don't control. If you cast this spell during your main phase, the creature you control gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Then those creatures fight each other. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Store Championships
- Price
- $0.34
- EDHREC rank
- #4071
Tail Swipe kills a creature at instant speed for one mana — as long as your creature is bigger, it's a zero-card-advantage removal spell that costs almost nothing. Neyith of the Dire Hunt turns every fight into a draw trigger, so Tail Swipe isn't just removal; it's a one-mana cantrip with upside.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Neyith of the Dire Hunt
Neyith of the Dire Hunt draws a card whenever one of your creatures fights, which means Tail Swipe at instant speed on an opponent's turn is effectively a one-mana removal spell that replaces itself.
Legolas, Master Archer
Legolas, Master Archer pings creatures to set up favorable power differentials, and Tail Swipe closes the deal — a pinged-down blocker becomes clean removal for a single green mana.
Maarika, Brutal Gladiator
Maarika, Brutal Gladiator wants to fight every turn to proc her deathtouch and trample triggers, and Tail Swipe gives that engine instant-speed reach so it can operate on opponents' turns as well.
Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid
Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid tempts opponents into attacking, loading up creatures with counters, and Tail Swipe cashes in that power advantage as cheap, efficient removal.
Wolverine, Best There Is
Wolverine, Best There Is accumulates +1/+1 counters through combat damage, and Tail Swipe lets that growing power stat convert directly into removal without tapping him or waiting for a combat step.
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 |
Tail Swipe is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker — and Commander is where it belongs. In 60-card formats the conditional clause (your creature must have greater power) is too unreliable against interaction-heavy fields, and one-mana sorcery-speed fight spells exist that compete for the slot. In Commander, the instant speed is the whole argument: fight effects on your own turn are fine, but firing one off at the end of an opponent's turn to kill an attacker or remove a blocker before your swing is a meaningful upgrade. It earns its slot specifically in commanders who reward the fight trigger itself — if your commander doesn't care that a fight happened, Tail Swipe is just conditional removal and green has better options.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.34 bulk tier
At $0.34, Tail Swipe is bulk — you're paying almost nothing for a card that pulls real weight in the right shell. Bulk rares fluctuate, but fight-matters commanders aren't going away, so demand stays steady enough that this price isn't going anywhere meaningful in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Neyith of the Dire Hunt
- Legolas, Master Archer
- Maarika, Brutal Gladiator
- Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid
- Wolverine, Best There Is
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.