Demonic Lore
Enchantment
When this enchantment enters, draw three cards.
At the beginning of your end step, you lose 2 life for each card in your hand.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Commander Legends
- Price
- $0.32
- EDHREC rank
- #11046
Demonic Lore draws you three cards for three mana — the catch is that it's an enchantment that deals 3 damage to you each upkeep until you give it away. In a Blim, Comedic Genius deck that's a feature, not a bug; everywhere else, the life loss clock makes it a liability.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Blim, Comedic Genius
Blim, Comedic Genius is the natural home — Demonic Lore's punishing upkeep trigger becomes a weapon the moment Blim passes it to an opponent, turning three cards drawn into someone else's recurring 3-damage tax.
Ghen, Arcanum Weaver
Ghen, Arcanum Weaver can sacrifice Demonic Lore before the upkeep bites, trading it away to pull a more stable enchantment from the graveyard and keeping the card advantage without paying the life.
Braids, Arisen Nightmare
Braids, Arisen Nightmare rewards feeding permanents to opponents, and Demonic Lore fits the symmetry-abuse shell — you draw three, then find a way to make the enchantment someone else's problem before the next upkeep arrives.
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 |
Demonic Lore is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but its real home is Commander. In Legacy and Vintage the three-mana sorcery-speed draw three is simply outclassed — Ancestral Recall and Necropotence exist — and the life loss trigger is a liability in fast, low-life-total formats. Commander's 40-life cushion and multiplayer politics make the upkeep cost manageable, especially in decks built to offload the enchantment before it drains you dry.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.32 bulk tier
At $0.32, Demonic Lore is pure bulk — easy to pick up in a trade binder or throw into any order without thought. The price reflects its narrow playability: it's nearly format-exclusive to specific Commander strategies, so don't expect it to climb.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Blim, Comedic Genius
- Ghen, Arcanum Weaver
- Braids, Arisen Nightmare
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.