Tyrant's Scorn
Instant
Choose one —
• Destroy target creature with mana value 3 or less.
• Return target creature to its owner's hand.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BU
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Breaking News
- Price
- $0.10
- EDHREC rank
- #9796
Tyrant's Scorn gives you two removal modes on one card — kill a small creature outright or bounce anything back to hand — for just one blue and one black mana. In Nicol Bolas, the Ravager decks specifically, that flexibility at instant speed is exactly the kind of cheap interaction that keeps you alive long enough to flip the legend and start draining hands.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Nicol Bolas, the Ravager runs Tyrant's Scorn because the deck needs cheap, reactive interaction in Grixis colors, and the bounce mode doubles as protection for Bolas himself when opponents threaten to exile or destroy him before he transforms.
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 |
In Commander, Tyrant's Scorn occupies the role of cheap, flexible spot removal in Dimir or Grixis shells — the kill mode handles early utility creatures and mana dorks, while the bounce mode stays relevant against indestructible threats or commanders you want to tax through the command zone. In competitive 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, Tyrant's Scorn mostly gets outclassed by more efficient options: Fatal Push answers bigger creatures unconditionally, and Brazen Borrower bounces at flash speed with a body attached. Legacy and Vintage have even less reason to run it given the available card pool. The card's home is Commander, where two modes on a single cheap spell stretch resources in a four-player game.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.10 bulk tier
At $0.10, Tyrant's Scorn is bulk — pick it up without a second thought if the slot fits. Bulk dual-mode interaction rarely spikes, so expect this price to stay flat.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.