Treacherous Greed
Instant
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature that dealt damage this turn.
Draw three cards. Each opponent loses 3 life and you gain 3 life.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BW
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Murders at Karlov Manor
- Price
- $0.27
- EDHREC rank
- #10285
Treacherous Greed draws three cards for three mana at instant speed — the catch is you lose three life and pay it in black, which means it belongs in decks that either have life to burn or turn that loss into fuel. In Teysa, Opulent Oligarch shells that generate tokens from life payments, the cost stops being a drawback and starts being a trigger.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Teysa, Opulent Oligarch
Teysa, Opulent Oligarch rewards losing life with Human tokens, so the three life Treacherous Greed costs becomes three bodies — you're essentially drawing three cards and creating creatures simultaneously for a single spell.
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 |
Treacherous Greed is legal across every major constructed format but it doesn't show up in competitive Legacy, Modern, or Pioneer lists — three mana for three cards with a life payment is too slow when Night's Whisper and Sign in Blood do similar work cheaper. Standard is where it's most accessible to casual players, and it's a fine roleplayer there in black decks that can absorb the life loss. Commander is its real home: instant speed matters more in a multiplayer game where you want to hold up interaction, and life totals of 40 give you the slack to pay three without flinching. Skip it in aggro builds where the life loss compounds fast; run it in midrange and control shells that value flash over efficiency.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.27 bulk tier
At $0.27, Treacherous Greed sits firmly in bulk territory and is unlikely to climb — it's competing against cheaper sorcery-speed draw spells that see more play. The instant-speed premium is real, but not enough to push the price; grab copies freely and don't expect them to appreciate.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.