Copper Tablet
Artifact
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, this artifact deals 1 damage to that player.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Unlimited Edition
- Price
- $62.92
- EDHREC rank
- #15230
Copper Tablet deals 1 damage to each player at the start of every upkeep — including your opponents' — which adds up to roughly 12 damage per table rotation in a four-player game without a single attack step. At one mana with no maintenance cost, the effect is real, but 1 damage per trigger is too slow to close games and too small to matter in most Commander pods where life totals start at 40.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Copper Tablet is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but the only format where it sees any meaningful discussion is Commander — and even there, it's a fringe piece. In 40-life multiplayer, symmetrical chip damage is most viable in dedicated group-slug shells that stack similar effects; Copper Tablet alone is never the reason those decks win. Legacy and Vintage have no interest in a one-mana artifact that deals 1 damage per upkeep when the games end on turn one or two. Oathbreaker's 20-life starting total makes the math slightly friendlier, but faster damage sources crowd it out there too.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
If what you want is symmetrical upkeep damage, Ankh of Mishra and Manabarbs do more work in the same shells for less money. Copper Tablet's closest spiritual replacement is Blightbeetle or Pyrohemia for specific strategies, but for pure group-slug redundancy, Zo-Zu the Punisher and Spellshock hit harder and scale better with the game state.
Price Context
Current price
$62.92 premium tier
At $62.92, Copper Tablet sits firmly in premium territory for a card whose competitive impact is negligible — the price is driven entirely by age and collectibility, not power. It holds value as a Reserved List artifact, but you are paying a collector premium, not a power premium.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.