Aspect of Manticore
Enchantment — Aura
Flash
Enchant creature
When this Aura enters, enchanted creature gains first strike until end of turn.
Enchanted creature gets +2/+0.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Theros Beyond Death
- Price
- $0.14
- EDHREC rank
- #23308
Aspect of Manticore gives a creature first strike and lifelink until end of turn for one red mana — that's a combat swing that can flip a race or survive a double block. It's a narrow trick, and narrow tricks need to pull real weight to earn a slot.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Aspect of Manticore competes against a deep pool of permanent-based haste and lifelink enablers, so it rarely makes the cut — instants that don't change the board state permanently are a hard sell in a 100-card singleton format. Pauper is where Aspect of Manticore gets the most serious look: one-mana combat tricks that gain life are real, and first strike plus lifelink together can steal games in aggressive red strategies. In Modern and Pioneer the effect is simply too low-impact against the removal and board states you're navigating. Legacy and Vintage have no interest in a one-shot combat modifier at any price.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.14 bulk tier
At $0.14, Aspect of Manticore is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not card value. Bulk commons don't hold or lose value in any meaningful sense; pick it up if the effect fits, ignore it otherwise.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.