Brainstone
Artifact
, 
, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw three cards, then put two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Modern Horizons 2
- Price
- $0.30
- EDHREC rank
- #4884
Brainstone lets you sculpt the top of your library for one mana, then cash in later with a three-mana activated ability that draws those cards — the split cost is the whole point, letting you bank the setup and pay for the payoff when it matters. Decks that care about what's on top of the library, from Approach of the Second Sun to Aminatou, Veil Piercer triggers, treat this as a cheap, repeatable enabler that punches well above its mana cost.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Aminatou, Veil Piercer
Aminatou, Veil Piercer's ability triggers off cards being put into the graveyard from anywhere, and Brainstone's activation mills three after you've already seen them — that's a reliable, cheap way to fuel her engine on demand.
Lorehold, the Historian
Lorehold, the Historian wants specific cards on top of the library to trigger his ability, and Brainstone is one of the cleanest ways to guarantee the right card is sitting there before you attack.
Kenessos, Priest of Thassa
Kenessos, Priest of Thassa cheats Krakens and sea monsters into play off the top of the library, so controlling what's up there is everything — Brainstone lets you stack the top cheaply and set up a free drop on the next attack.
Neera, Wild Mage
Neera, Wild Mage replaces a spell with whatever's on top of the library, so Brainstone's ability to arrange the top three before Neera fires dramatically increases the odds of hitting a haymaker instead of a blank.
Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender
Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender is a colorless commander that leans on artifact synergies, and Brainstone fits cleanly as a zero-color-pip artifact that provides card selection without straining a greedy mana base.
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 |
Brainstone is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but Commander is where it actually sees play. In Modern and Legacy, one mana for scry 3 with a deferred draw is too slow and too low-impact compared to cantrips and free interaction available in those formats. Commander is the format that rewards the split-activation model — you set up on a mana-light turn and draw on a mana-rich one, fitting naturally into the longer, slower game where topdeck manipulation compounds over many turns. In Oathbreaker it's similarly playable, especially in decks whose Planeswalker or signature spell cares about what's on top.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Approach of the Second SunSunbird's InvocationGod-Eternal KefnetBrainstone
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View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.30 bulk tier
At $0.30, Brainstone is firmly bulk — a card you pick up without thinking about the price tag. It's seen enough Commander play across a wide range of archetypes that demand rarely spikes it out of that tier, so don't expect it to move.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.