Altar of Shadows
Artifact
At the beginning of your first main phase, add 
for each charge counter on this artifact.
, 
: Destroy target creature. Then put a charge counter on this artifact.
- CMC
- 7
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Mirrodin
- Price
- $0.38
- EDHREC rank
- #20933
Altar of Shadows kills a creature every turn for free once it's online, but getting there costs seven mana to cast and then a full turn cycle to charge — you're looking at turn nine before it does anything. At that investment, it needs to be winning the game, and a tap-to-destroy effect just isn't.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Altar of Shadows is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but competitive play in Legacy, Modern, and Vintage ignores it entirely — games end before seven mana and a charge counter even become relevant. Commander is the only format where it can plausibly resolve and matter, and even there it's fringe: the effect is real but the setup cost puts it firmly in the "win-more" category for decks that already have the board under control. Oathbreaker shares Commander's slower pace but runs only 58 cards and tighter mana constraints, making the seven-drop even harder to justify.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.38 bulk tier
At $0.38, Altar of Shadows is deep bulk — no surprise given how rarely it makes competitive 99s. That price is stable at the floor and unlikely to move without an unexpected reprint or combo discovery.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.