Direct Current
Sorcery
Direct Current deals 2 damage to any target.
Jump-start (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a card in addition to paying its other costs. Then exile this card.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Guilds of Ravnica
- Price
- $0.09
- EDHREC rank
- #23860
Direct Current deals 2 damage to any target and bounces itself to your hand — it's a repeatable ping stapled to a sorcery, but three mana every time is a steep tax for two damage. Outside of spells-matter engines that reward casting the same card repeatedly, Direct Current rarely earns its slot.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Direct Current earns its keep almost exclusively in Niv-Mizzet, Parun or Melek, Izzet Paragon shells where casting it multiple times in a turn generates compounding value — otherwise, two damage at sorcery speed doesn't threaten players at 40 life. In Pauper, where commons rule and damage-based removal is more relevant, Direct Current sees occasional fringe play in storm or spell-chaining decks that want a reusable spell in the loop. Across Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer, more efficient burn simply outcompetes it; three mana for two damage with no immediate card advantage is unplayable in those formats.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.09 bulk tier
At $0.09, Direct Current is firmly bulk — you're paying nearly nothing for a card with a narrow use case. That price will hold; there's no scarcity story here, just a niche role in a niche archetype.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.