Price$0.07 – $0.23
Buy on TCGplayerMurder
Instant
LegalRemovalRank #791
Destroy target creature.
Why is this card good?
Murder is the textbook example of a clean, unconditional creature kill spell — and that's both its strength and its weakness.
The upside: it destroys any creature with no restrictions, at instant speed. You can hold it up to kill a commander mid-combat, blow up a problematic threat (a Craterhoof'd attacker, an enemy combo piece), or save yourself in a pinch. Three mana for guaranteed removal is fine, and the double-black cost is trivial in mono-black or black-heavy decks.
The problem is that Commander has better options at the same rate. Hero's Downfall, Bedevil, and Dismember hit more card types or cost less; Go for the Throat and Infernal Grasp are cheaper and nearly as flexible. Murder simply gets outclassed.
Run it in budget builds or when you've already exhausted the premium removal in a black deck and need playable filler. Avoid it in optimized lists — there's almost always a strictly-better instant occupying that slot.
Related cards
Hero's Downfall
Same cost, also hits planeswalkers.
Go for the Throat
Cheaper unconditional creature removal.
Doom Blade
Two-mana destroy nonblack creature.
Bedevil
Destroys creature, planeswalker, or artifact.
Cast Down
Two-mana destroy nonlegendary creature.
Infernal Grasp
Two-mana destroy any creature at small life cost.
Snuff Out
Free instant-speed creature removal.
Vraska's Contempt
Destroys creature/planeswalker with exile and lifegain.
Printings (20)
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Played by these commanders
Anowon, the Ruin Thief100% of 1
Gisa and Geralf100% of 1