Altar of the Lost
Artifact
This artifact enters tapped.
: Add two mana in any combination of colors. Spend this mana only to cast spells with flashback from a graveyard.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Dark Ascension
- Price
- $0.05
- EDHREC rank
- #23235
Altar of the Lost enters tapped, which stings, but it produces two mana of any color exclusively for flashback spells — a payoff that demands you're already building around the graveyard. If your deck casts flashback spells consistently, it's a free two-mana rock that earns its slot; if it doesn't, it's just a slow, awkward Wastes.
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 the Lost is a Commander card through and through — the format's graveyard-centric strategies are exactly where two generic mana restricted to flashback costs becomes genuinely useful rather than parasitic. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but entirely unplayable; those formats have access to far faster mana and rarely need a dedicated flashback-only rock. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander's dynamic at a smaller scale, so flashback-heavy spellslinger builds can use it the same way. Outside of Commander, treat the legality as a technicality.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.05 bulk tier
At $0.05, Altar of the Lost is deep bulk — you're unlikely to find it in a binder at any meaningful price, and it won't appreciate. Pick it out of a bulk box and don't think twice about the cost.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.