The Commander
Flying
Whenever a creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, destroy that creature.
Guide
Gameplan
Horobi turns every targeted spell or ability into instant-speed removal: point any cheap 'target creature' effect at anything and it dies regardless of toughness or indestructibility-via-damage. You weaponize one-mana pingers, auras, and 'target creature' triggers to clear the board while protecting Horobi, then grind opponents down or assemble a damage/drain finish.
Strengths
- Converts the cheapest targeting spells into universal, toughness-ignoring removal
- Mono-black gives deep access to tutors, recursion, and card advantage
- Forces opponents to play around their own removal—targeting your stuff kills it for free
- Can repeatedly recur cheap targeters for a removal engine
Weaknesses
- Symmetrical: opponents can kill your creatures by targeting them, including Horobi itself
- Pillow-fort and untargetable/hexproof boards blank your whole strategy
- Heavy reliance on Horobi being out—gets expensive after multiple recasts
- Mono-black means no counterspells or true blink to dodge interaction
Key Cards
- Horobi, Death's Wail — The engine—every targeted creature dies, turning trivial effects into removal.
- Vampire's Kiss — Cheap instant that targets two creatures, destroying both with Horobi out.
- Disfigure — One-mana 'target creature' that becomes unconditional removal under Horobi.
- Witch's Cottage — Recurs cheap targeters and protection spells to keep the removal engine flowing.
- Whip of Erebos — Lifelink and reanimation help stabilize against Horobi's symmetrical fragility.
Upgrade Path
Add fast mana (Sol Ring, Dark Ritual) and protection like Swiftfoot Boots and Imp's Mischief to keep Horobi alive against the symmetrical downside. Lean into cheap, flexible targeters (Spark of Independence, Cuombajj Witches, Pestilence) plus recursion (Phyrexian Reclamation, Witch's Cottage) for a relentless removal engine, and tutors like Demonic Tutor to assemble a Gray Merchant or combo finish.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Grind out a clear board, then close with evasive threats or a finisher like Gray Merchant of Asphodel
- ▸Drain the table via aristocrats sacrifice and life-loss engines
- ▸Voltron-lite beats with Horobi's flying once you control the board
Archetypes
- Control — Cheap targeting spells double as one-mana board wipes, letting you keep the board clear.
- Aristocrats — Sacrifice and recursion smooth over Horobi's downside while draining opponents.
- Combo — A free destroy-on-target trigger combines with ping/untap loops for repeatable kills.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (B), by popularity.
