USD $0.17

EUR €0.17

Heartless Act

Instant

Choose one —

• Destroy target creature with no counters on it.

• Remove up to three counters from target creature.

"It's them or us." —General Kudro

Set: The List (PLST #IKO-91)
Rarity: Uncommon
Mana value: 2
Released: 2024-08-02
Artist: Ryan Pancoast
EDHREC rank: #4,778
Colour identity
Finishes: Nonfoil
Served from: Local database

Commander bracket

1 +

Fits any bracket

No Game Changer, land denial, extra turns or two-card combos.

Derived from card traits, not a ruling — bracket rules turn on how a deck intends to use a card. Bracket rules

EDHREC

Salt Score 0.11

How much players resent seeing this card. The scale tops out around 3.1.

Removal

Combos 12

Archfiend of the Dross+Heartless Act+Fateful Handoff

Target opponent loses the game at the beginning of their next upkeep

514 decks Commander Spellbook ↗

Archfiend of the Dross+Jon Irenicus, Shattered One+Heartless Act

Target opponent loses the game at the beginning of their next upkeep

501 decks Commander Spellbook ↗

Archfiend of the Dross+Heartless Act+Wrong Turn

Target opponent loses the game at the beginning of their next upkeep

384 decks Commander Spellbook ↗

Archfiend of the Dross+Heartless Act+Harmless Offering

Target opponent loses the game at the beginning of their next upkeep

346 decks Commander Spellbook ↗

Archfiend of the Dross+Heartless Act+Blim, Comedic Genius

Target opponent loses the game at the beginning of their next upkeep

316 decks Commander Spellbook ↗

Archfiend of the Dross+Heartless Act+Bazaar Trader

Target opponent loses the game at the beginning of their next upkeep

259 decks Commander Spellbook ↗

Archfiend of the Dross+Heartless Act+Coveted Falcon

Target opponent loses the game at the beginning of their next upkeep

146 decks Commander Spellbook ↗

Archfiend of the Dross+Heartless Act+Donate

Target opponent loses the game at the beginning of their next upkeep

126 decks Commander Spellbook ↗

Archfiend of the Dross+Heartless Act+Switcheroo

Target opponent loses the game at the beginning of their next upkeep

72 decks Commander Spellbook ↗

Archfiend of the Dross+Heartless Act+Stiltzkin, Moogle Merchant

Target opponent loses the game at the beginning of their next upkeep

22 decks Commander Spellbook ↗

Archfiend of the Dross+Heartless Act+Bilbo, Luckwearer // Burglar's Plot

Target opponent loses the game at the beginning of their next upkeep

7 decks Commander Spellbook ↗

Archfiend of the Dross+Heartless Act+Zedruu the Greathearted

Target opponent loses the game at the beginning of their next upkeep

6 decks Commander Spellbook ↗

All 12 combos.

Format legality

Standard Legal

Pioneer Legal

Modern Legal

Legacy Legal

Vintage Legal

Pauper Not legal

Commander Legal

Oathbreaker Legal

Duel Commander Legal

Brawl Legal

Standard Brawl Legal

Historic Legal

Timeless Legal

Alchemy Legal

Penny Legal

Premodern Not legal

PreDH Not legal

Pauper EDH Not legal

Old School Not legal

Future Legal

Gladiator Legal

All printings Scryfall ↗Edhrec ↗

Rulings

2025-10-02
If you choose the first mode and the creature gains a counter in response, you can't remove counters from it instead; the spell just doesn't resolve. Similarly, if you choose the second mode and the creature loses its counters in response, you can't destroy it instead.
2025-10-02
If you choose the second mode for Heartless Act, you choose which counters to remove from the creature, no matter who controls the creature. You may choose counters of different kinds.