Cruel Ultimatum

As of Jul 28, 2026, the cheapest tracked printing of Cruel Ultimatum is $0.30 (OTP #40, Showcase), and the most expensive is $14.82 (ALA #164, Foil). The benchmark price (cheapest playable nonfoil) is $0.30, up 7.1% over 7 days, up 25.0% over 30 days, up 36.4% over 90 days. All-time tracked high: $0.30 (2026).

Cruel Ultimatum has 7 tracked printings across 7 sets, in nonfoil and foil finishes, including showcase treatments.

OTP #40 Showcase

$0.30

CK $0.49 / $0.03 90%

MP $0.15 446 avail

DDH #69

$0.33 +10%

CK $0.59 / $0.05 85%

MP $0.25 105 avail

OTP #40 Showcase Foil

$0.34 +13%

CK $0.49 / $0.10 71%

MP $0.20 44 avail

C13 #182

$0.38 +27%

CK $0.69 / $0.06 84%

MP $0.15 128 avail

ALA #164

$0.43 +43%

CK $0.69 / $0.06 86%

MP $0.23 152 avail

MM3 #158

$0.50 +67%

CK $0.99 / $0.30 40%

MP $0.38 128 avail

E01 #82

$0.53 +77%

CK $0.99 / $0.10 81%

MP $0.46 45 avail

V13 #17 Foil

$0.91 +203%

CK $0.99 / $0.10 89%

MP $0.51 38 avail

MM3 #158 Foil

$1.20 +300%

CK $2.99 / $0.90 25%

MP $1.20 6 avail

ALA #164 Foil

$14.82 +4840%

CK $5.99 / $3.00 80%

MP $13.54 3 avail

Card Kingdom currently pays $3.00 cash for ALA #164 (Foil); the retail-buylist spread on that printing is 50% (wide).

• Apr 12, 2024 If the target opponent is an illegal target as Cruel Ultimatum tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. (I'm not going to list them all here because it would just be disappointing to hear all of the things you won't get to do.)
• Mar 14, 2017 All of the actions for Cruel Ultimatum are performed sequentially, in the order listed. Earlier actions may affect how you perform later actions. For example, if the opponent sacrifices a creature that they control but you own, it will end up in your graveyard. When Cruel Ultimatum lets you return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand, you can choose that one.
• Mar 14, 2017 Cruel Ultimatum's only target is an opponent. You don't choose which creature card in your graveyard you'll return to your hand until Cruel Ultimatum resolves.
• Mar 14, 2017 If, as Cruel Ultimatum begins to resolve, your opponent's life total is 5 or less and you have two or fewer cards in your library, the game will result in a draw. Your opponent's life total will drop to 0 or less, but Cruel Ultimatum must finish resolving completely before state-based actions are performed. You'll then be forced to draw three cards and fail to draw one. When state-based actions are finally performed, you and your opponent will both lose the game at the same time, which means the game is a draw.

Cruel Ultimatum has been reprinted 10 times. The Breaking News reprint cut the price 62% in 30 days.

Set	Date	Rarity	Treatment	Price before	Day 1	30 days	90 days
OTP #40	2024-04-19	Rare	Showcase	$0.37	$0.10	$0.14	$0.11
OTP #40	2024-04-19	Rare	Showcase	$0.34	$0.24	$0.18	$0.20
E01 #82	2017-06-16	Rare	Standard	—	—	—	—
MM3 #158	2017-03-17	Rare	Standard	—	—	—	—
MM3 #158	2017-03-17	Rare	Standard	—	—	—	—
C13 #182	2013-11-01	Rare	Standard	—	—	—	—
V13 #17	2013-08-23	Mythic	Standard	—	—	—	—
DDH #69	2011-09-02	Rare	Standard	—	—	—	—
ALA #164	2008-10-03	Rare	Standard	—	—	—	—
ALA #164	2008-10-03	Rare	Standard	—	—	—	—

Cruel Ultimatum is the #5,741 most-played card on EDHREC, down 74 places over the last 30 days.