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Archaeomancer

Creature — Human Wizard

When this creature enters, return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.

CMC
4
Mana cost
{2}{U}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
common
Set
Ultimate Masters
Price
$0.31
EDHREC rank
#947
Buy on TCGplayer
Archaeomancer card art
Archaeomancer enters the battlefield and puts any instant or sorcery back in your hand — four mana to recycle your best spell is the deal, and it's a reasonable one. The ceiling is infinite when paired with Ghostly Flicker or blink loops enabled by Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward // Candlekeep Sage, which is exactly why this card has stayed relevant for years.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Abdel Adrian, Gorion's WardCandlekeep Sage

Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward // Candlekeep Sage

74.5% of decks · synergy 0.64

Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward // Candlekeep Sage blinks its own board on attack, and Archaeomancer re-enters every loop to rebuy Ghostly Flicker or any other instant — 74% of Abdel Adrian decks run it because it's a core piece of the engine, not a support card.

02
Inalla, Archmage Ritualist

Inalla, Archmage Ritualist

61.8% of decks · synergy 0.58

Inalla, Archmage Ritualist creates a hasty token copy of Archaeomancer on entry, letting you grab two instants or sorceries for the price of one cast — at 62% inclusion across over twelve thousand decks, it's the most broadly played home for the card.

03
Orvar, the All-Form

Orvar, the All-Form

70.5% of decks · synergy 0.56

Archaeomancer targeting itself with a cantrip or targeting spell triggers Orvar, the All-Form to copy it, generating additional bodies that each grab another spell — the self-referential loop is exactly what Orvar wants.

04
Y'shtola Rhul

Y'shtola Rhul

70.1% of decks · synergy 0.55

Y'shtola Rhul's ability rewards flickering creatures, and Archaeomancer turns each blink into a spell recovered from the graveyard, keeping the hand full and the engine churning throughout a long game.

05
Yorion, Sky Nomad

Yorion, Sky Nomad

64.2% of decks · synergy 0.54

Yorion, Sky Nomad blinks your entire board every time it attacks or enters, and Archaeomancer guarantees you recover a key spell each cycle — 64% inclusion in Yorion decks reflects how reliably it converts those blinks into card advantage.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Archaeomancer lives. Four mana for a 1/2 is too slow for Legacy, Modern, or Pioneer, where spell recursion happens at instant speed for two or three mana and creatures die before the trigger resolves. Pauper is the exception — Archaeomancer has seen play in blink and flicker shells there precisely because the format's power ceiling is low enough that a 4-mana enters-the-battlefield effect can be worth building around. In Commander, the four-mana cost is acceptable because the format rewards engines over rate, and Archaeomancer slots into any blink or flicker strategy as a repeatable recursion piece.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

12,627 decks
DisplacePeregrine DrakeArchaeomancer

DisplacePeregrine DrakeArchaeomancer

Infinite blinking; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite magecraft triggers; Infinite mana lands you control can produce; Infinite storm count; Infinite landfall triggers; Infinite untap of lands you control

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

$0.31 bulk tier

At $0.31, Archaeomancer is bulk — wide supply from multiple printings keeps it there and will continue to. The price is stable in the sense that it won't drop meaningfully further, but there's no pressure to pick it up at anything other than a dime-bin price.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.