Crackling Drake
Creature — Drake
Flying
Crackling Drake's power is equal to the total number of instant and sorcery cards you own in exile and in your graveyard.
When this creature enters, draw a card.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- RU
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Commander 2019
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #9574
Crackling Drake enters with a power equal to the total number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard and exile, draws a card on arrival, and swings as a flying threat the same turn — all for four mana. In spell-heavy Commander builds, especially under Melek, Reforged Researcher, it routinely enters as a 6/4 or larger while replacing itself, which is a lot of card for a bulk rare.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Melek, Reforged Researcher
Melek, Reforged Researcher runs instant and sorcery counts into the stratosphere, so Crackling Drake lands as a massive flying threat almost automatically while the looting effect feeds the graveyard for future casts.
Niv-Mizzet, Parun
Niv-Mizzet, Parun decks chain spells aggressively enough that Crackling Drake's power grows through a normal game arc, and the enters-the-battlefield draw triggers Niv's own ping ability — a small but real bonus.
Rielle, the Everwise
Rielle, the Everwise rewards discard-heavy spell loops that stuff the graveyard fast, turning Crackling Drake into an outsized attacker that can hit double digits in power without much effort.
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, Crackling Drake earns its slot in any Izzet shell that regularly casts a dozen or more instants and sorceries — the card draws on entry, grows as the game progresses, and flies over most defensive boards. Competitive non-rotating formats tell a different story: Modern and Pioneer both move fast enough that a four-mana 4/4 with upside rarely survives long enough to matter, and dedicated spellslinger lists have cheaper payoffs. Legacy has the raw card quality to outclass it entirely. Crackling Drake is, at its core, a Commander card — the format's longer games and higher spell density are exactly the conditions where it thrives.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Crackling Drake is deep bulk — buy a playset without thinking twice. Bulk rares in Commander-specific niches rarely climb unless a new commander dramatically spikes demand, so expect it to stay cheap.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Melek, Reforged Researcher
- Niv-Mizzet, Parun
- Rielle, the Everwise
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.