Begin the Invasion
Sorcery
Search your library for up to X battle cards with different names, put them onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BGRUW
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- March of the Machine Commander
- Price
- $0.32
- EDHREC rank
- #21165
Begin the Invasion puts three 2/2 Vampire Knight tokens with lifelink into play across all your opponents' end steps — one per turn — which means you're accruing board presence passively while doing other things. Seven mana is real, but the total payoff is three tokens and three life drains if you survive long enough to collect them all.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Begin the Invasion is a Commander card through and through — the delayed, multi-turn payoff only makes sense in a multiplayer game where you have three opponents to spread tokens across and enough time to collect all three. In Legacy and Vintage, where it's technically legal, seven mana for a conditional three 2/2s across several turns is unplayable; those formats end before the second token lands. Commander is the one context where the passive accumulation fits: Vampire tribal decks, lifegain synergy shells, and aristocrats lists all find legitimate use for what Begin the Invasion provides.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.32 bulk tier
At $0.32, Begin the Invasion is deep bulk — easy to pick up without a second thought. It won't hold or gain value, but it doesn't need to; it's a niche tribal roleplayer you grab from a bulk bin and slot into an Edgar Markov or Strefan build without budgetary concern.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.