Case of the Crimson Pulse
Enchantment — Case
When this Case enters, discard a card, then draw two cards.
To solve — You have no cards in hand. (If unsolved, solve at the beginning of your end step.)
Solved — At the beginning of your upkeep, discard your hand, then draw two cards.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Murders at Karlov Manor
- Price
- $0.33
- EDHREC rank
- #12380
Case of the Crimson Pulse enters as a two-mana enchantment that draws you a card immediately and threatens to generate a 4/4 lifelink vampire token once you've gained enough life — meaningful upside stapled to a cantrip. The case for running it hinges entirely on whether your deck already gains life reliably enough to close the case without bending your gameplan.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Case of the Crimson Pulse belongs in life-gain or vampire-tribal decks where the threshold is met passively — outside those shells, a two-mana enchantment that requires ongoing setup to close is too slow. In Modern and Pioneer, the case faces stiff competition from more unconditional two-drop draw engines, and the payoff token arrives too late to matter in most game states. Standard is its most competitive home given the lower card-quality baseline, particularly in white-black life-gain shells where closing the case by turn four is realistic. Legacy and Vintage don't want it — the ceiling is a 4/4 lifelink, and that's not a ceiling those formats respect.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.33 bulk tier
At $0.33, Case of the Crimson Pulse is deep bulk — pick it up without hesitation if the deck calls for it. Don't expect the price to move; it's a build-around uncommon with a narrow home, and supply is high.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.