Utter End
Instant
Exile target nonland permanent.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BW
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Khans of Tarkir Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #1531
Utter End exiles any nonland permanent — no exceptions, no regeneration, no indestructible clause to hide behind — for four mana at instant speed. That cost is the only real knock on it, and in Killian, Ink Duelist decks it drops to two, which makes the tradeoff disappear entirely.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Killian, Ink Duelist
Killian, Ink Duelist halves the cost of any spell that targets a creature, which means Utter End becomes a two-mana instant-speed exile — a rate that belongs on a restricted list in other formats.
Clavileño, First of the Blessed
Clavileño, First of the Blessed runs a tribal shell that lives and dies by protecting its key pieces and clearing blockers; Utter End handles both jobs and hits every permanent type a Vampire tribal list might need to answer.
Inquisitor Greyfax
Inquisitor Greyfax leads a vigilance-matters strategy that needs clean answers to threats its combat math can't race; Utter End is the catch-all that handles whatever slips past the combat step.
Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos
Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos operates in a midrange Phyrexian-proliferate shell where opposing enchantments and artifacts can shut down the game plan as easily as creatures; Utter End covers all three.
Zurgo Helmsmasher
Zurgo Helmsmasher decks lean into Mardu aggro and need instant-speed interaction that doesn't slow the board development; Utter End on an opponent's turn keeps mana open for the attack without sacrificing a removal slot.
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 |
Commander is where Utter End earns its keep — four mana is a real cost in 1v1 formats, but in a multiplayer game where opponents deploy planeswalkers, Equipment, and Sagas alongside creatures, unconditional exile at instant speed is worth every mana. Modern and Pioneer have access to cheaper, narrower answers, so Utter End rarely competes there outside of fringe control builds that specifically want the catch-all clause. Legacy is similar — the format moves too fast for a four-mana sorcery-speed equivalent, though the instant timing keeps it from being unplayable. In Oathbreaker, the lower starting life total and faster games make the four-mana ask slightly steeper, but the exile clause still justifies a slot in any Orzhov or Mardu list.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Utter End has been reprinted enough times that copies are widely available at low single-digit price points — check current listings on Scryfall or your preferred vendor for the exact figure. At whatever it's selling for now, it's an easy pickup for any Orzhov, Esper, or Mardu Commander list that wants unconditional permanent removal.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.