Act of Heroism
Instant
Untap target creature. It gets +2/+2 until end of turn and can block an additional creature this turn.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Hour of Devastation
- Price
- $0.09
- EDHREC rank
- #17112
Act of Heroism pumps a creature +2/+2 and grants vigilance until end of turn, all for one white mana at instant speed — the catch is it only matters if that creature is blocking. Outside of a dedicated go-wide defender strategy, a one-mana trick that requires your creature to already be in combat rarely earns a slot.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Act of Heroism is a fringe combat trick — it's only worth a slot in dedicated Arcades, the Strategist or Doran, the Siege Tower builds where the pump converts directly into damage or survivability. In Pauper, the format's common-only pool makes one-mana pump spells more competitive, but Act of Heroism still sits below Giant Growth and Mutagenic Growth on the power ladder. Modern, Legacy, and Vintage don't want it — those formats demand either free interaction or effects that impact the board beyond a single swing. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander's read: niche at best, and only if the signature spell or planeswalker is built around combat.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.09 bulk tier
At $0.09, Act of Heroism is deep bulk — you'll pull it from a common bin long before you'd buy a copy intentionally. Bulk commons at this price point don't hold or gain value, so there's no reason to think about it beyond its in-game utility.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.