Ambition's Cost
Sorcery
You draw three cards and you lose 3 life.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Duel Decks: Nissa vs. Ob Nixilis
- Price
- $0.33
- EDHREC rank
- #3394
Ambition's Cost draws three cards at sorcery speed for four mana — you refill your hand completely, and the three life you pay is a rounding error in a 40-life format. It's not the most efficient draw spell black has ever seen, but it does its job cleanly, and Kardur, Doomscourge running it at a 16% clip says everything about how reliably it refuels aggressive black strategies.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Kardur, Doomscourge
Kardur, Doomscourge is a tap-out, attack-forcing commander that burns through cards fast, and Ambition's Cost slots in as dependable late-game refuel — three fresh cards after a combat step is exactly the follow-up a Goad engine needs to keep pressure on.
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse turns every draw into a threat, so Ambition's Cost drawing three becomes six damage dealt to opponents while gaining Sheoldred's controller six life — a four-mana spell that swings the life total math by twelve is worth the slot.
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 |
Commander is where Ambition's Cost earns its keep — 40 life makes the three-life payment near-irrelevant, and mono-black or heavy-black shells routinely struggle to find four-mana draw that doesn't ask for double-black pips. In Legacy and Vintage, it's legal but unplayed; those formats have access to Demonic Tutor, Necropotence, and Ad Nauseam, so a four-mana sorcery that draws three doesn't clear the bar. Pioneer and Standard are off the table entirely, and Pauper cuts it at rarity. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander case — viable in black, but 20 starting life makes the cost sting slightly more in faster games.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.33 bulk tier
At $0.33, Ambition's Cost is bulk in every sense — you're paying for cardboard, not scarcity. That price is stable; it sees consistent Commander demand but enough printings to keep supply high, so don't expect it to move in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.