Top 10 Blight Spells in Commander (EDH) | Control & Attrition Picks

WRITTEN BY Devin Richardson

Top 10 Blight Spells

Blight spells are all about slow, inevitable pressure—shrinking boards, punishing creature-heavy strategies, and turning time into a weapon. Rather than removing threats outright, Blight effects weaken entire battlefields with −1/−1 counters and lingering debuffs that force opponents to rethink how and when they commit creatures. 

In this Top 10 Blight Spells list, we’ll highlight the most impactful options in Commander, showcasing cards that excel at grinding value, controlling the board, and synergizing with aristocrats and attrition-based strategies.

Auntie Ool, Cursewretch

Auntie Ool, Cursewretch

High Perfect Morcant

High Perfect Morcant

Spiral into Solitude

Spiral into Solitude

#10 • Wild Unraveling

Counterspells are the most powerful spells in EDH.  Wild Unraveling is the same asCounterspellwith a minor downfall of putting two -1/-1 counters on a creature or paying 1 additional generic mana.  This spell is great to add redundancy for Counterspells in your EDH deck.  

#9 • Pyrrhic Strike

A strong instant removal spell with possibly two effects on one card.  You have the option to destroy an artifact or enchantment.  Your second option is destroying target creature with mana value 3 or greater.  Most players commanders are over 3 mana to cast.  You can target their commanders. If you pay the additional cost to Blight 2, you have both options.

Pyrrhic Strike

#8 • Scuzzback Scrounger

This is a hidden gem for a token generator.  Goblins are low cmc and Scuzzback Scrounger generates a token at the beginning of your first main phase.  It's definitely an early game play and can benefit aggro style decks.

Scuzzback Scourger

#7 • Sinister Gnarlbark

Card Draw is always going to be powerful.  This Treefolk Warlock boasts 4 toughness which encourages attackers to go away from you.  It really shines for a casting cost of only 3 mana and drawing a card at the end of your turn.  With toughness 4 just put the blight counter on Sinister Gnarlbark.

Sinister Gnarlbark

#6 • Shadow Urchin

This creature is easy to cast requiring just a black or red pip along with 2 generic mana.  Some of my favorite effects are attack triggers.  Shadow Urchin blights 1 whenever you attack.  However, it has a death trigger when a creature with counters on it dies.  This can be your creatures or opponents. The death triggers allows you to exile that many cards from the top of your library and play them until your next end step.  This impulse draw mechanic is a high risk high reward.  I'll take the reward because how many times have you lost the game because you didn't see enough cards?

#5 • Soul Immolation

This is a sorcery board wipe that's similar toPyrohemia. You are only limited by the toughness of a creature you control when you blight X for its additional casting cost.  Now deal X damage to each opponent and each creature.  Players have been adding a Tree of Perditionto their decks to get Blight X to be Blight 12. In a way you created your own Blasphemous Act.

 

#4 • Boggart Mischief

I'd like to say Boggart Mischief will be shine in a Rakdos Goblin Tribal build or Monoblack (which is rare).  For 3 mana its an enchantment that creates two goblin creatures that are two colors (red & black).


#3 • Auntie Ool, Cursewretch

The face commander for the Blight Curse Precon from Lorwyn Eclipse.  Auntie Ool is a Jund Commander and its uniquely built.  Lorwyn Eclipse brings the -1/-1 Counters to the forefront of Magic the Gathering.  The precon focuses on aristocrat strategies, wither effects, and control.  

Auntie Ool Cursewretch - Blight Curse Precon Commander

#2 • High Perfect Morcant

A Golgari Commander that wants you to play elves or drop elves into play.  Let me tell you that is easy!  The elf ball archetype is famously powerful in EDH.  When High Perfect Morcant is on the battlefield and you have elves coming into play your opponents are blighting their creatures.  You will wither their creatures down to nothing.  

You can make them disappear even faster with her Proliferate ability as an activated ability of tapping just 3 untapped elves you control.  I think it's a great idea if you made her a Superfriends deck too!  That's where you have planeswalkers consistent through out your deck.


High Perfect Morcant

#1 • Dawnhand Dissident

This one drop creature is a powerhouse.  To summarize Dawnhand Dissident it manipulates the top card of your library, exiles problematic cards in graveyards and reanimates creatures. I think it shines in mid or late game as a superb utility creature.

Honorary Mentions

You didn't think I was going to leave off some of your favorites did you. Again the goal of the list is to help players generate ideas from the Top 10 cards listed.  These cards below will offer deck builders  alternatives or more niche syngeries for their desired deck build.

Cinder Strike

Cinder Strike

Boggart Mischief

Boggart Mischief

Champion of the Wierd

Champion of the Weird

Final Thoughts : 

Blight spells are ways to destroy creatures slowly.  The real benefit is they don't remove them right away which grants players time for sequencing plays and payoffs.


Looking for more. 

Check out my breaking brews video below on Auntie Ool, Cursewretch or The Reaper, King No More.