Baleful Stare
Sorcery
Target opponent reveals their hand. You draw a card for each Mountain and red card in it.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Ninth Edition
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #24118
Baleful Stare reads one opponent's board state and converts it into cards — up to a hand refill in the right game, all for two mana. It's a sorcery, so you need to read the table correctly, but when an opponent is playing three or more lands in your colors, this overperforms nearly every draw spell at this price point.
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 Baleful Stare earns its slot — four opponents means at least one is almost always running enough basics in your colors to draw three or more cards, and that ceiling climbs the more evenly spread the table's color identities are. In Legacy and Vintage the card is technically legal but completely irrelevant; those formats run fetchlands and dual lands rather than basics, so Baleful Stare often draws zero or one card against a competent opponent. Oathbreaker shares Commander's multiplayer context and can get similar mileage, especially in pods where mono-color or two-color planeswalkers dominate.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Price data isn't currently available for Baleful Stare, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the current market rate before buying. Given its narrow Commander-specific appeal and low competitive demand, it has historically sat in bulk or near-bulk territory — worth picking up for pennies if you're building a deck that wants it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.