Chaotic Backlash
Instant
Chaotic Backlash deals damage to target player equal to twice the number of white and/or blue permanents they control.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Eventide
- Price
- $0.19
- EDHREC rank
- #27908
Chaotic Backlash hits each opponent for 2 damage per white or blue permanent they control — in the right table, that's 20+ damage split across three players for five mana. The catch is that it does nothing in a vacuum: against mono-green or black-heavy pods, you're casting a five-mana spell that reads 'deal 0 damage.'
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 |
Chaotic Backlash is a Commander card through and through — three opponents multiplies the damage ceiling dramatically, and white/blue permanents are everywhere at most tables thanks to the format's creature-heavy, enchantment-stacking metagame. In Legacy and Vintage it's unplayable; opponents run one or two permanents total and faster ways to close games exist at every point on the curve. Oathbreaker shares enough of Commander's multiplayer math that the card can pull similar weight there, though the compressed game speed makes five mana harder to justify. Wherever you run it, the card lives and dies by the permanents sitting across the table.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.19 bulk tier
At $0.19, Chaotic Backlash is pure bulk — grab a copy for essentially nothing and don't think twice about the financial commitment. Demand is narrow enough that the price isn't going anywhere, but at this tier that's irrelevant: you're playing it for the effect, not the equity.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.