
The Lord of Pain
Legendary Creature — Human Assassin
Menace
Your opponents can't gain life.
Whenever a player casts their first spell each turn, choose another target player. The Lord of Pain deals damage equal to that spell's mana value to the chosen player.
5 / 5
Commander bracket
Derived from card traits, not a ruling — bracket rules turn on how a deck intends to use a card. Bracket rules
EDHREC
Combos
Not part of any combo on Commander Spellbook.
Commander recommendations
Top synergy 50
Played far more in this commander's decks than elsewhere.
- Vial Smasher the Fierce
- Kaervek the Merciless
- Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls
- Mogis, God of Slaughter
- Basilisk Collar
- Kederekt Parasite
- Spiteful Visions
- Wound Reflection
- Razorkin Needlehead
- Stormfist Crusader
- Painful Quandary
- Witch's Clinic
- Brash Taunter
- Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
- Kardur, Doomscourge
- Fate Unraveler
- Gleeful Arsonist
- Harsh Mentor
- Descent into Avernus
- Sadistic Shell Game
- Scrawling Crawler
- Blood Seeker
- Fiery Emancipation
- Rakdos, Lord of Riots
- Rampaging Ferocidon
- Massacre Wurm
- Mask of Griselbrand
- Exquisite Blood
- Gray Merchant of Asphodel
- Heartless Hidetsugu
- Star Athlete
- Blasphemous Act
- Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
- Spinerock Knoll
- Rakdos Charm
- Lightning Greaves
- Underworld Dreams
- Bedevil
- Twinflame Tyrant
- Graven Cairns
- Prisoner's Dilemma
- Nightshade Harvester
- Grab the Prize
- Blood for the Blood God!
- Barbflare Gremlin
- Blood Pact
- Spiked Corridor // Torture Pit
- Bloodthirsty Conqueror
- Bloodletter of Aclazotz
- Shivan Gorge
Most included 50
Highest share of decks running them, distinctive or not.
- Swamp
- Mountain
- Sol Ring
- Command Tower
- Arcane Signet
- Dragonskull Summit
- Blasphemous Act
- Smoldering Marsh
- Kaervek the Merciless
- Vial Smasher the Fierce
- Rakdos Charm
- Talisman of Indulgence
- Rakdos Signet
- Tainted Peak
- Mogis, God of Slaughter
- Chaos Warp
- Basilisk Collar
- Kederekt Parasite
- Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls
- Sulfurous Springs
- Lightning Greaves
- Razorkin Needlehead
- Bedevil
- Foreboding Ruins
- Graven Cairns
- Spiteful Visions
- Kardur, Doomscourge
- Stormfist Crusader
- Dark Ritual
- Wound Reflection
- Blood Crypt
- Brash Taunter
- Painful Quandary
- Witch's Clinic
- Shadowblood Ridge
- Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
- Fellwar Stone
- Gleeful Arsonist
- Fate Unraveler
- Exotic Orchard
- Descent into Avernus
- Blazemire Verge
- Luxury Suite
- Temple of Malice
- Haunted Ridge
- Sign in Blood
- Harsh Mentor
- Scrawling Crawler
- Feed the Swarm
- Blackcleave Cliffs
Format legality
Rulings
- 2024-09-20
If a spell has
in its mana cost, use the value chosen for X when determining that spell's mana value.
- 2024-09-20
If an effect says to set an opponent's life total to a number that's higher than their current life total, that player's life total won't change.
- 2024-09-20
Spells and abilities that cause opponents to gain life still resolve while The Lord of Pain is on the battlefield. They won't gain life, but any other effects of that spell or ability will still happen.
- 2024-09-20
The Lord of Pain's last ability must target a player other than the one who cast the spell that caused the ability to trigger. That means that if it's just you and one other player in the game, you'll have to target yourself when that player casts their first spell each turn. (What did you expect? You summoned The Lord of Pain!)