Cerebral Vortex
Instant
Target player draws two cards, then Cerebral Vortex deals damage to that player equal to the number of cards they've drawn this turn.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- RU
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Guildpact
- Price
- $1.09
- EDHREC rank
- #11595
Cerebral Vortex makes an opponent draw two cards, then deals damage equal to the total cards they drew this turn — in the right shell, that's a lethal spell at instant speed for two mana. Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot copies instants and sorceries aggressively enough that a single Cerebral Vortex can chain into multiple triggers, turning one card into a one-sided burn package.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot
Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot's copy-spell gameplan means Cerebral Vortex gets duplicated and pointed at the same player, stacking draw counts before the damage resolves — one spell can close out a game.
Nekusar, the Mindrazer
Nekusar, the Mindrazer already punishes opponents for drawing, and Cerebral Vortex layers a second damage source onto the same trigger, compressing the damage-per-draw math and closing out targets the Nekusar passive left at low life.
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 |
Cerebral Vortex is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it's almost exclusively a Commander card — the forced draw makes it unreliable in 1v1 formats where handing an opponent two cards at instant speed is a real cost. In Commander, the multiplayer math flips it: you pick the most threatening player, bury them in damage, and the forced draw is irrelevant if they're dead. Legacy and Vintage have access to it but rarely want it, since dedicated burn and combo decks have more efficient closes that don't hand resources to the opponent.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.09 cheap tier
At $1.09, Cerebral Vortex sits firmly in the bulk-rare tier — cheap enough to slot in without a second thought. It's a narrow card with a specific home, so don't expect the price to move unless a breakout Nekusar or Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot build pushes demand.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.