Baku Altar
Artifact
Whenever you cast a Spirit or Arcane spell, you may put a ki counter on this artifact.
, 
, Remove a ki counter from this artifact: Create a 1/1 colorless Spirit creature token.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Betrayers of Kamigawa
- Price
- $3.19
- EDHREC rank
- #20816
Baku Altar converts Spirit tokens into 1/1 fliers while keeping your graveyard stocked — a two-for-one engine that snowballs fast in the right shell. The catch is the three-mana activation: you need a wide board and enough mana to actually use it, which limits it to dedicated Spirit strategies rather than generic token decks.
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 |
Baku Altar is Commander-only in practice. In Legacy, Modern, and Vintage it's technically legal but functionally irrelevant — three mana for a 1/1 flier at sorcery speed doesn't compete in those formats. Commander is where Baku Altar earns its slot: Spirit tribal decks want the sacrifice outlet, the flier production, and the incidental graveyard fueling all on one card. Oathbreaker is a plausible home too, especially with a Spirit-matters planeswalker at the helm, but the card pool there is narrow enough that it sees almost no play.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$3.19 cheap tier
At $3.19, Baku Altar sits in the cheap tier — a low-stakes pickup for any Spirit build. It's a niche tribal piece from a specific block, so supply is limited but demand is narrow, and the price has stayed flat; don't expect it to move much in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.