Elixir of Vitality
Artifact
This artifact enters tapped.
, Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 4 life.
, , Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 8 life.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Mirage
- Price
- $0.13
- EDHREC rank
- #29403
Elixir of Vitality gains you 4 life and puts a +1/+1 counter on your commander for two mana at instant speed — a minor stat bump and a negligible life buffer that rarely change a game's outcome. It's too slow and too low-impact to justify a slot in any competitive or even casual Commander build.
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 |
Elixir of Vitality is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it sees essentially no play in any of them. In Commander, two mana for 4 life and a single +1/+1 counter on your commander is well below the rate you need — better life gain comes with additional upside, and better counter synergies don't require spending a card. Legacy and Vintage have access to the entire card pool, which means the competition for a two-mana instant slot is brutal; Elixir of Vitality doesn't come close to clearing that bar. Oathbreaker is the one context where buffing your planeswalker signature spell commander could theoretically matter, but even there, the effect is too small to build around.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.13 bulk tier
At $0.13, Elixir of Vitality sits firmly in bulk territory, and the price reflects its playability accurately. There's no sleeper upside here — bulk cards at this rate stay bulk unless a future mechanic dramatically rewards life gain or commander counters in a way nothing currently does.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.