Burnout
Instant
Counter target instant spell if it's blue.
Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Alliances
- Price
- $0.64
- EDHREC rank
- #12474
Burnout counters a blue instant or sorcery and can't itself be countered by blue spells — it's a hard answer to counterspell wars that resolves through the most common form of interaction. At one red mana, it's cheap enough to hold up without warping your turn, and the cantrip means running it costs you nothing in cards.
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 |
In Commander, Burnout is a narrow sideboard-style card that punches above its weight at blue-heavy tables — if your meta has multiple Counterspell, Cyclonic Rift, and Brainstorm players, it's a live draw nearly every game. The uncounterable clause is the whole point: it resolves through Mana Drain, Force of Will, and any blue stack interaction your opponents might hold. Outside of Commander, Burnout is legal in Legacy and Vintage, where blue countermagic is dominant enough that the effect has genuine value, though dedicated anti-blue tools like Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast outclass it in almost every context. It's not legal in Modern, Pioneer, Standard, or Pauper, which limits its competitive range considerably.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.64 bulk tier
At $0.64, Burnout sits at the top end of bulk — easy to acquire and easy to cut if your meta shifts away from blue. It's not a card that holds or appreciates in value, but you're not paying a premium for a conditional answer either.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.