Kill Switch is one of the best ways to shut down artifact decks in Commander. Forcing players to tap all of their artifacts and denying any attempt at untapping them, Kill Switch is a surprisingly effective card against all kinds of strategies.
That said, one new Bloomburrow Commander has caused a popularity increase for Kill Switch. This is because, in that deck, this card is capable of more than just tapping artifacts.
Kill Switch
- Mana Value: 3
- Rarity: Rare
- Card Type: Artifact
- MTG Sets: Nemesis
- Card Text: (2), (Tap): Tap all other artifacts. They don’t untap during their controllers’ untap steps as long as Kill Switch remains tapped.
Kill Switch has increased in price from less than a dollar in mid-August to selling for as much as $6 today. This only takes near-mint sales into account.
The main cause for these spikes is a popular Commander that released in Bloomburrow. Not only is Ygra, Eater of All making waves in the Pioneer format, but it’s also making waves in Commander. Kill Switch plays double duty when Ygra is in play. Because this card turns all creatures into Food artifacts, Kill Switch also forces creatures to tap down and fail to untap as long as Kill Switch is tapped. This means that creatures can’t attack, block, or use activated abilities that cause them to tap. Your creatures should be fine since Kill Switch will untap on your untap step.
This makes Kill Switch an absolutely absurd effect for three mana. Even in the likely scenario that Ygra gets removed after you start tapping down everyone’s creatures, Kill Switch shutting down artifacts is still incredibly powerful. Not only do players lose access to their mana rocks, but artifacts matter decks get shut out of the game completely.
Reprints Needed
Here, we have another instance of a price spike being amplified by a lack of availability. Kill Switch has only been printed in one MTG set: Nemesis. It was released 24 years ago, which means that the supply of this card is seriously low.
Kill Switch is only $6 on its high-end right now, which isn’t too bad, but the card could continue to increase in price as time goes by, especially if Ygra’s interaction with the card spotlights it for other Commander decks. Should it become pricy, a reprint might be in order.
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