Wear Down
Sorcery
Gift a card (You may promise an opponent a gift as you cast this spell. If you do, they draw a card before its other effects.)
Destroy target artifact or enchantment. If the gift was promised, instead destroy two target artifacts and/or enchantments.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Bloomburrow
- Price
- $0.32
- EDHREC rank
- #2386
Wear Down puts two -1/-1 counters on a creature for one mana — efficient enough to trade up in nearly any creature matchup. Ms. Bumbleflower decks run it as a counter-generation engine first and a removal spell second, which is the right way to think about it.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ms. Bumbleflower
Ms. Bumbleflower wants every -1/-1 counter entry trigger she can find, and Wear Down delivers two of them on a single mana for one card. At a 57% inclusion rate, it's essentially a staple in that shell.
Clement, the Worrywort
Clement, the Worrywort cares about spells that proliferate or distribute counters, and Wear Down feeding two counters onto a target syncs cleanly with that gameplan. It earns its slot as a cheap, counter-generating piece of interaction.
Muerra, Trash Tactician
Muerra, Trash Tactician benefits from -1/-1 counter synergies, and Wear Down at one mana is one of the most efficient ways to seed those counters early. The low cost means it rarely costs you tempo when you cast it.
Finneas, Ace Archer
Finneas, Ace Archer is a Rabbit creature-matters commander, and Wear Down slots in as flexible interaction that also advances any counter-based synergies in the 99. It's an on-theme answer that doesn't require you to give up a slot to pure removal.
Mr. Foxglove
Mr. Foxglove helms a Rabbit tribal build that often leans into counter synergies, and Wear Down provides cheap interaction that doubles as counter generation. The 21% inclusion rate reflects it as a supporting piece rather than a core engine, but it earns its place.
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 |
In Commander, Wear Down is a role-player in any deck that cares about -1/-1 counters — primarily Golgari and Jund counter synergy shells — and a passable cheap removal spell otherwise. Outside Commander, it's legal across Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, and Vintage, but in those formats the competition for one-mana interaction is steep and Wear Down rarely clears the bar unless your deck specifically rewards counter placement. Pauper is the one format where it's not legal. The card's real home is Commander, where two counters for one mana is efficient and the counter-synergy payoffs are plentiful enough to make it worth a slot.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.32 bulk tier
At $0.32, Wear Down is deep bulk — you'll find it in bulk bins or as a throw-in with any order. It's not a card that appreciates meaningfully, so buy it for the effect and don't think twice about the cost.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Ms. Bumbleflower
- Clement, the Worrywort
- Muerra, Trash Tactician
- Finneas, Ace Archer
- Mr. Foxglove
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.