Dreams of Steel and Oil
Sorcery
Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose an artifact or creature card from it, then choose an artifact or creature card from their graveyard. Exile the chosen cards.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The Brothers' War
- Price
- $0.33
- EDHREC rank
- #18872
Dreams of Steel and Oil replaces itself and hits every opponent for 2 life the moment an artifact or creature enters under your control — both halves trigger off the same event, so it's doing real work the turn it lands. Three mana for a cantrip that drains the table is a clean rate in any artifact or token shell.
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, Dreams of Steel and Oil earns its slot in artifact and token decks by draining all three opponents simultaneously — a three-damage spread per trigger adds up to lethal pressure faster than a single-target effect ever would. Outside Commander, the card is legal in Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, and Vintage, but the competition at three mana for enchantment-based life drain is steep in those formats and the payoff requires a critical mass of artifacts or creatures entering to matter. In 60-card formats, that setup condition is harder to meet consistently, and there are tighter engines doing similar work. Commander remains the format where Dreams of Steel and Oil performs at its ceiling.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.33 bulk tier
At $0.33, Dreams of Steel and Oil sits firmly in bulk territory, making it an easy include with zero financial friction. Bulk enchantments that slot into popular archetypes tend to stay cheap unless a commander breaks into the mainstream meta and spikes demand, so this is safe to pick up without concern.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.