Burning-Rune Demon
Creature — Demon Berserker
Flying
When this creature enters, you may search your library for exactly two cards not named Burning-Rune Demon that have different names. If you do, reveal those cards. An opponent chooses one of them. Put the chosen card into your hand and the other into your graveyard, then shuffle.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Kaldheim
- Price
- $5.39
- EDHREC rank
- #4300
Burning-Rune Demon enters the battlefield and immediately tutors any two cards from your library — your opponent picks one for your hand, and the other goes to the graveyard, which is frequently a feature rather than a bug. Be'lakor, the Dark Master decks run it in nearly 40% of lists because a 6/6 flying Demon that stocks both your hand and your graveyard on the same trigger is exactly the kind of midrange value engine that justifies six mana.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Be'lakor, the Dark Master
Be'lakor, the Dark Master cares about Demons entering the battlefield, and Burning-Rune Demon delivers a triggered tutor the moment it lands — fetching a combo piece to hand while loading the graveyard for recursion or Unearth effects.
Ardyn, the Usurper
Ardyn, the Usurper runs heavy on Demons and wants consistent access to specific threats; Burning-Rune Demon's enter-the-battlefield tutor finds whatever piece Ardyn needs while simultaneously filling the graveyard for any reanimation payoffs in the 99.
Sedris, the Traitor King
Sedris, the Traitor King wants big creatures in the graveyard to Unearth, and Burning-Rune Demon guarantees at least one high-value card ends up there on arrival — you pick two targets, your opponent chooses wrong, and Sedris cleans up.
Olivia, Crimson Bride
Olivia, Crimson Bride reanimates Vampires, but Burning-Rune Demon earns its spot as a powerful Demon that self-mills into the graveyard engine, letting Olivia's reanimation line start the turn after it resolves.
Kaalia of the Vast
Kaalia of the Vast cheats Demons, Dragons, and Angels into play, and Burning-Rune Demon rewards that cheat by tutoring the next bomb to hand while dropping another into the graveyard for follow-up plays.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Burning-Rune Demon is a Commander card through and through — six mana is a real cost in competitive 60-card formats, and the opponent choosing which card you keep is a significant liability when a single wrong guess doesn't end the game. In Legacy and Vintage, the tutor-to-hand half rarely justifies the investment when faster, unconditional options exist. Pioneer and Modern likewise have no compelling reason to run it; the rate simply doesn't compete at that mana value. Commander is where it belongs: opponents agonize over the choice, graveyard synergies make the discard half actively good, and a 6/6 flying Demon is a meaningful clock on top of the effect.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Razaketh, the Foulblooded costs more money but finds any single card unconditionally, which is strictly stronger if budget isn't the constraint. If you're cutting cost and can live without the Demon type, Sidisi, Undead Vizier tutors one card to hand for five mana at instant speed by exploiting itself, asking nothing from your opponent — that's the cleanest functional replacement under Burning-Rune Demon's price point. The trade-off is losing the graveyard-loading second card, which matters in reanimator shells where Burning-Rune Demon's forced discard is part of the plan.
Price Context
Current price
$5.39 mid tier
At $5.39, Burning-Rune Demon sits in the mid tier — affordable enough to include without budget strain, but not a throwaway pickup. It's a unique effect that hasn't seen a reprint glut, so the price reflects consistent demand from Demon-tribal and reanimator lists rather than speculative spikes.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Be'lakor, the Dark Master
- Ardyn, the Usurper
- Sedris, the Traitor King
- Olivia, Crimson Bride
- Kaalia of the Vast
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.