Arterial Flow
Sorcery
Each opponent discards two cards. If you control a Vampire, each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Rivals of Ixalan
- Price
- $0.40
- EDHREC rank
- #8398
Arterial Flow hits every opponent for two discards if you control a Vampire — mass hand disruption on a three-mana sorcery is a deal most black decks would take without the rider. In Tinybones, Trinket Thief, that same spell draws you cards and threatens the ten-damage activation, making it one of the most efficient single spells in the archetype.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Tinybones, Trinket Thief
Tinybones, Trinket Thief turns every opponent's discard trigger into a card draw, so Arterial Flow — which forces two discards from each opponent — can draw up to three cards on a single spell and charge the ten-damage activation in the same turn.
Tinybones, Bauble Burglar
Tinybones, Bauble Burglar rewards you whenever opponents discard, and Arterial Flow's multi-opponent reach means one casting can trigger that payoff three times simultaneously across a full pod.
Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal punishes opponents for having empty hands, so Arterial Flow accelerates the board into that depletion state faster — strip two cards from everyone and let Aclazotz close the gap.
Tergrid, God of Fright
Tergrid, God of Fright steals permanents opponents sacrifice or discard, and Arterial Flow gives every opponent at the table two forced discard triggers to steal from at once.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Arterial Flow earns its slot — the three-player discard scales in a way no 1v1 format can match, and the Vampire clause is trivially satisfied in any tribal or discard-focused black shell. In Modern and Pioneer, it competes in a space where targeted discard like Thoughtseize sets the baseline, and a sorcery-speed spell that requires a creature type to fire on all cylinders rarely makes the cut. Legacy offers even less room — the format is fast enough that three mana for hand disruption without card selection is simply too slow. Arterial Flow is a Commander card that happens to be legal elsewhere.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.40 bulk tier
At $0.40, Arterial Flow is bulk, and the price reflects its narrow competitive relevance outside Commander. Supply is ample and demand is concentrated in one archetype, so the floor is stable — this isn't a card that spikes unexpectedly.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Tinybones, Trinket Thief
- Tinybones, Bauble Burglar
- Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
- Tergrid, God of Fright
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.