Boom // Bust
Sorcery // Sorcery
Destroy target land you control and target land you don't control.
- CMC
- 8
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Planar Chaos
- Price
- $1.56
- EDHREC rank
- #12442
Boom // Bust is a one-sided Armageddon stapled to a spot-removal spell — Bust clears every land on the board, and Boom lets you blow up a land you don't own while protecting one you do. Commanders like Svella, Ice Shaper that generate mana through permanents other than lands can cast Bust and leave opponents with nothing while the engine keeps running.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Svella, Ice Shaper
Svella, Ice Shaper taps for mana through her activated ability rather than relying on land drops, so casting Bust resets opponents to zero while Svella's Icy Manalith tokens keep the engine online — Boom // Bust is one of the cleanest lock pieces in the deck.
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 |
In Commander, Boom // Bust earns its slot in any deck that can survive a mass land wipe better than three opponents can — land destruction is high-variance in a four-player pod, so it rewards dedicated artifact-mana or land-light strategies that can pull ahead in the aftermath. In Legacy and Vintage, Bust sees fringe play in land-destruction shells, but the four-mana cost is too slow for the formats' dominant strategies; Boom at two mana is more relevant there, pairing with fetchlands or Flagstones of Trokair for value. Modern land-hate decks occasionally reach for it, though Cleansing Wildfire and Blood Moon usually do more work at lower cost. Boom // Bust is not legal in Pioneer, Standard, or Pauper.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.56 cheap tier
At $1.56, Boom // Bust sits in the cheap tier — low enough that including it is a no-brainer if the effect fits your build. It's a niche card with a stable floor; no price pressure is coming unless a high-profile Bust-combo deck breaks out.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Svella, Ice Shaper
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.