Circle of Flame
Enchantment
Whenever a creature without flying attacks you or a planeswalker you control, this enchantment deals 1 damage to that creature.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Magic Online Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #8712
Circle of Flame taxes every attacking creature with power 2 or less by dealing 1 damage to it and its controller at the start of combat — on a two-mana enchantment, that's a repeatable soft wall against token swarms and weenie aggro. Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph turns that 1 damage into 3, which means Circle of Flame stops being a nuisance and starts being a clock.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph
Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph converts every 1-damage ping from Circle of Flame into 3, so each small attacker that triggers it costs the opponent 3 life and takes 3 damage — often a lethal tax on the entire strategy of attacking with small creatures.
Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh
Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh decks lean on incremental red burn triggers to flip and re-flip Chandra, and Circle of Flame adds a passive trigger each combat that syncs with that damage-counting gameplan.
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell adds 2 to every red source's damage, turning Circle of Flame's 1-damage ping into 3 — the same upgrade Ghyrson offers — and stacking with any other burn effects already on board.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Circle of Flame is a meta-dependent include: it does real work in pods full of token strategies and go-wide aggro but becomes a blank enchantment against decks that win through combo or big-power creatures. Its ceiling is Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph, where it's a staple that appears in nearly 40% of those decks. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer, Circle of Flame is legal but essentially unplayed — two mana for a conditional combat enchantment is too slow and too narrow when those formats offer efficient removal that doesn't ask attackers to cooperate.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Circle of Flame isn't currently available in this system — check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for a live number. Given its narrow application outside of specific Commander shells, it tends to sit in bulk-rare territory unless demand from Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph builds pushes it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph
- Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh
- Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.