Char
Instant
Char deals 4 damage to any target and 2 damage to you.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- From the Vault: Twenty
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #21781
Char deals 4 damage to any target for three mana — that's efficient reach or removal — and also deals 2 damage to you, which is the entire point in the right deck. Outside of life-loss synergies, that self-damage is a real cost; inside them, it's a feature that makes Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence trigger twice on the same card.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence
Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence cares about every instance of non-combat damage you deal to yourself, and Char delivers two separate triggers — 4 out the door and 2 back to you — making it one of the cleanest single spells for stacking her counters and pumping the table's damage output simultaneously.
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 |
In Commander, Char earns its slot almost exclusively in life-loss-matters builds — most prominently Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence — where the 2 self-damage is a resource rather than a drawback. In a vacuum, four mana for 4 damage is below rate for red in a 40-life format, so generalist decks skip it. In Legacy and Vintage, Char occasionally surfaces in burn and aggressive shells where the speed of three mana for 4 damage to a player's face matters, though it competes hard against cheaper options. Modern has better tools at the same slot, so Char rarely sees competitive play there.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data isn't currently available for Char, so check Scryfall or your preferred retailer for the latest number. Given its narrow appeal — concentrated in a specific Commander archetype — copies tend to sit at bulk or near-bulk pricing outside of any sudden spike in Auntie Blyte demand.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.