Terminate
Instant
Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BR
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Assassin's Creed
- Price
- $0.39
- EDHREC rank
- #227
Terminate kills any creature, full stop — no regeneration escape hatch, no indestructible loophole via regeneration, just a clean two-mana answer at instant speed. The only asterisk is the Rakdos color requirement, and even Auntie Ool, Cursewretch lists run it at over 65% inclusion because that cost is trivially met in black-red shells.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Auntie Ool, Cursewretch
Auntie Ool, Cursewretch wants to trade resources efficiently while building toward her curse engine, and Terminate is the cleanest two-mana answer she can run — it removes any blocker or threat without leaving a body behind to complicate her board math.
Disa the Restless
Disa the Restless cares about creatures dying and going to graveyards, so Terminate does double duty: it clears the way for combat while potentially fueling whatever graveyard payoffs Disa the Restless is assembling.
The Reaper, King No More
The Reaper, King No More operates in a threat-dense environment where opponents lean on large or resilient creatures, and Terminate handles anything that would otherwise survive targeted removal — indestructible or regenerating included.
Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Ezio Auditore da Firenze needs specific creatures dead to trigger his assassination payoffs, and Terminate guarantees the kill at instant speed without giving the target a window to regenerate or the opponent a chance to respond at sorcery timing.
Mathas, Fiend Seeker
Mathas, Fiend Seeker already puts political pressure on opponents to deal with bounty targets, and Terminate serves as the backup plan when those targets survive — cheap, unconditional, and perfectly on-color for the Mardu shell.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Terminate is a staple — two mana for unconditional instant-speed removal is exactly the rate the format demands, and the absence of a regeneration clause matters more than it looks when indestructible commanders and recursive threats are everywhere. In Legacy and Vintage, Terminate sees play as a clean answer in Rakdos shells where efficiency is non-negotiable, though it competes with free spells and one-mana options in those deeper card pools. Pauper is where Terminate is arguably at its best outside Commander: at common, it's one of the most efficient hard-removal spells the format offers, a format staple in any black-red aggressive or control shell. Pioneer and Standard players are out of luck — Terminate isn't legal in either — but every other Constructed format where it's available should at minimum consider it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.39 bulk tier
At $0.39, Terminate is deep bulk — pick up as many copies as you need without a second thought. Bulk staples at this power level don't trend downward, but don't buy these as a financial play either; you're buying them to put them in decks.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.