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.)
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.
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.
Last observed on Scryfall 2 months ago at $0.55. Over the trailing 90 days the price moved between $0.02 and $0.62 across 58 observations. Cross-checked across TCGplayer, eBay sold, Cardmarket EU, and Star City.
This printing is one of 3 catalogued treatments from ALA — the lineup includes Foil and Nonfoil alongside the standard finish. Across our catalog the Rarix library tracks every variant in the same family so collectors can compare price, scarcity and demand inside a single lineage.
Card #164 of *Shards of Alara*, the set that shipped alongside the October 2008 Shards of Alara release.
Card type: Sorcery, color identity black/red/blue, printed at rare. Rares occupy the bottom-of-pack rare slot in standard boosters. Mana cost: {U}{U}{B}{B}{B}{R}{R} (7 converted).
Legal across the major constructed formats — Modern, Legacy, Vintage, and Commander — plus Standard rotation play.
EDHrec ranks this card #5,596 in Commander, putting it in the niche-pick tier of the format's playable pool.
Illustrated by Ralph Horsley. Rarix catalogs 323 other cards credited to this artist.
Magic: The Gathering · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast · Illus. Ralph Horsley
Card data via Scryfall. Rarix is fan-made; not endorsed by the rights holders.
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.
