Drain the Well
Sorcery
Destroy target land. You gain 2 life.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Eventide
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #27217
Drain the Well destroys a target artifact or enchantment and gains you life equal to its mana value — three mana for removal plus a life buffer is a clean deal in Commander. It's not the most efficient answer available, but the life gain is real enough to matter in a format where you're staring down three opponents.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Drain the Well earns its slot — artifact and enchantment threats are everywhere, and the incidental life gain pulls double duty against aggressive decks and combo players burning through resources. In Pauper, it's a legal and reasonable common option for green-black shells that need flexible removal at common rarity. Legacy and Vintage have better options at the same cost, so Drain the Well won't see competitive play there. Modern and Pioneer have more efficient answers, and the card doesn't see play in either — though Pioneer is off the table entirely since it's not legal there.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Drain the Well is pure bulk — no reason to hesitate picking up copies for any deck that wants it. Bulk commons rarely move on price unless they hit a breakout archetype, so don't expect this to change.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.