Ulamog, the Defiler
Legendary Creature — Eldrazi
When you cast this spell, target opponent exiles the top half of their library, rounded up.
Ward—Sacrifice two permanents.
Ulamog enters with a number of +1/+1 counters on it equal to the greatest mana value among cards in exile.
Ulamog has annihilator X, where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on it.
- CMC
- 10
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Modern Horizons 3 Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #1527
Ulamog, the Defiler hits the board as an annihilator threat that exiles half an opponent's permanents on attack — the kind of impact that ends games rather than pressures them. The cost is real: ten mana is ten mana, and without a dedicated ramp or cheat shell, Ulalek, Fused Atrocity and similar Eldrazi commanders are where it belongs.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ulalek, Fused Atrocity
Ulalek, Fused Atrocity copies every triggered ability from other Eldrazi you control, which means casting Ulamog, the Defiler while Ulalek is out can cascade the annihilator and cast triggers across the entire table simultaneously.
Herigast, Erupting Nullkite
Herigast, Erupting Nullkite reduces the cost of the first Eldrazi you cast each turn, and Ulamog, the Defiler is the natural ceiling for that discount — shaving several mana off a ten-drop is the difference between a late-game threat and an early one.
Zhulodok, Void Gorger
Zhulodok, Void Gorger grants cascade twice to colorless spells with mana value seven or greater, and Ulamog, the Defiler at ten mana hits that threshold easily — casting it can chain into two more high-cost Eldrazi off the top.
The Infamous Cruelclaw
The Infamous Cruelclaw rewards you for putting high-cost cards into exile, and Ulamog, the Defiler's annihilator trigger exiles opponent permanents every attack, feeding that engine while also being a legitimate finisher on its own.
Ultima, Origin of Oblivion
Ultima, Origin of Oblivion scales with the number of Eldrazi you've cast, and Ulamog, the Defiler is among the highest-impact single casts in the archetype — it both advances Ultima's count and threatens to end the game in one or two swings.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Ulamog, the Defiler is built to play — ten mana is achievable through ramp, cost-reduction, or cheat effects, and a single attack triggering annihilator against three opponents creates an asymmetric board state most tables can't recover from. In Legacy and Vintage, Ulamog, the Defiler is technically legal but practically absent; those formats move too fast for a fair ten-mana creature, and the older Ulamog variants with indestructibility see more play in any Eldrazi shell that does exist there. Modern is the same story — the mana exists in theory but the format's speed and interaction density make a fair Ulamog, the Defiler unplayable outside of dedicated Eldrazi stompy builds that still prefer cheaper threats. Pioneer, Standard, and Pauper are non-starters by legality.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Current pricing data for Ulamog, the Defiler isn't available in this listing, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for up-to-date figures before buying. As a mythic Eldrazi with high Commander demand across multiple popular decks, expect it to sit in a range consistent with other marquee Eldrazi finishers — worth confirming before trading for one.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Ulalek, Fused Atrocity
- Herigast, Erupting Nullkite
- Zhulodok, Void Gorger
- The Infamous Cruelclaw
- Ultima, Origin of Oblivion
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.