Chain Reaction
Sorcery
Chain Reaction deals X damage to each creature, where X is the number of creatures on the battlefield.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Commander 2018
- Price
- $0.35
- EDHREC rank
- #695
Chain Reaction deals X damage to each creature where X is the number of creatures on the battlefield — in a multiplayer pod, that number routinely hits 10 or higher, making this a four-mana board wipe that scales harder than most unconditional wraths. Firesong and Sunspeaker turns every point of that damage into life gain and a burn trigger, which is why this card overperforms everywhere red gets access to it.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Firesong and Sunspeaker
Chain Reaction is a staple here because Firesong and Sunspeaker converts every point of damage dealt to creatures into life gain, and if you're at 20+ life when it resolves, the burn rider can close the game outright — a four-mana spell that simultaneously wipes the board and threatens lethal is exactly what this deck wants.
Jared Carthalion, True Heir
Jared Carthalion, True Heir wants to take damage to load up counters, and Chain Reaction handles the wide boards that would otherwise kill him before he gets going — clearing the field while leaving Jared alive (with enough toughness or protection) sets up the counter engine cleanly.
Nathan Drake, Treasure Hunter
Nathan Drake, Treasure Hunter operates in a Gruul shell that tends to go tall rather than wide, so Chain Reaction answers the token swarms and creature-heavy boards that would otherwise stall or overwhelm him.
Atarka, World Render
Atarka, World Render's dragon tribal builds are full of high-toughness creatures that survive moderate damage thresholds, so Chain Reaction frequently acts as a one-sided wipe when the opponent's board is stacked with smaller blockers.
Aegar, the Freezing Flame
Aegar, the Freezing Flame draws a card whenever a spell deals excess damage to a creature, and Chain Reaction in a full pod routinely deals far more damage than most creatures have toughness — turning a board wipe into a substantial card draw engine in the same trigger.
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 |
Chain Reaction is a Commander card through and through — the damage scales with total creatures across all players, and a four-player pod routinely pushes X above 12, making it one of the most efficient wraths in the format. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but sees no meaningful play; faster formats don't give creature counts time to climb high enough for the scaling to matter, and unconditional wraths at four mana face stiff competition from Wrath of God effects that don't require setup. Oathbreaker gives it a slightly better home than older competitive formats, especially in aggressive metas where boards get crowded fast.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.35 bulk tier
At $0.35, Chain Reaction is deep bulk — you're paying almost nothing for a board wipe that would cost multiples of that if it carried a more recognizable name. The price has stayed flat for years and is unlikely to move without a reprint into a high-demand product, so picking up copies now has zero downside.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Firesong and Sunspeaker
- Jared Carthalion, True Heir
- Nathan Drake, Treasure Hunter
- Atarka, World Render
- Aegar, the Freezing Flame
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.