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Undying Malice

Instant

Until end of turn, target creature gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield tapped under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it."

CMC
1
Mana cost
{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
common
Set
Innistrad: Double Feature
Price
$3.98
EDHREC rank
#1362
Buy on TCGplayer
Undying Malice card art
Undying Malice turns any sacrifice outlet into a loop — cast it on a creature before Viscera Seer eats it, and that creature comes back with a +1/+1 counter, ready to repeat the whole sequence. One black mana for that kind of recursion is a bargain, and on a commander like Skullbriar, the Walking Grave it becomes a permanent stat pump that survives zone changes.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

02
Hidetsugu and Kairi

Hidetsugu and Kairi

36.2% of decks · synergy 0.35

Hidetsugu and Kairi triggers a powerful death effect, so Undying Malice lets you replay that trigger on demand while also keeping your commander on board with a counter.

03
Yargle and Multani

Yargle and Multani

35.8% of decks · synergy 0.33

Yargle and Multani hits for massive trampling damage, and Undying Malice ensures a single removal spell doesn't end the game plan — the counter it returns with only makes the next attack more lethal.

04
Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist

Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist

42.4% of decks · synergy 0.32

Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist cares about creatures dying and returning, making Undying Malice a cheap, repeatable way to trigger that engine every turn cycle.

05
Deadpool, Trading Card

Deadpool, Trading Card

37.7% of decks · synergy 0.31

Deadpool, Trading Card wants to die repeatedly for value, and Undying Malice is one of the cleanest ways to guarantee a resurrection while adding a counter that compounds over time.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard legal
vintage legal
pauper legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Undying Malice earns its keep — sacrifice-and-recur loops are a foundational engine in the format, and one black mana for a guaranteed return with a +1/+1 counter is efficient enough to slot into any black combo shell. In Pauper it's similarly relevant, where cheap protection spells are at a premium and the counter can matter in a format of small creatures. Modern and Pioneer have access to more powerful recursion tools, so Undying Malice mostly sits on the fringes there, showing up in dedicated sacrifice builds that want redundancy. Legacy and Vintage offer far stronger options, so it rarely sees play above casual in those formats.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$3.98 cheap tier

At $3.98, Undying Malice sits at the high end of what you'd expect for a common-rarity utility spell, reflecting genuine Commander demand rather than casual overpricing. It's a staple in several high-synergy decks and sees enough play across formats that the price is unlikely to crater, though it's not a card you need to rush to acquire.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.