Essence Leak
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant permanent
As long as enchanted permanent is red or green, it has "At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this permanent unless you pay its mana cost."
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Invasion
- Price
- $0.19
- EDHREC rank
- #25762
Essence Leak is a tax enchantment that slaps a cumulative upkeep cost onto any permanent, turning it into a ticking clock the opponent has to pay or lose. It's narrow removal that never actually removes anything, which is a real liability in Commander where opponents have 40 life and plenty of mana to buy time.
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 |
In Commander, Essence Leak is a fringe piece at best — taxing one permanent in a four-player game is a tempo play that rarely translates into board advantage, and most tables run enough ramp to absorb the cumulative cost for several turns. Legacy and Vintage are the formats where it's technically legal but essentially invisible, outclassed by hard interaction that actually resolves threats. Oathbreaker operates at a smaller table and faster pace where a well-timed Essence Leak on a key permanent can close out a game, making it marginally more viable there than in Commander.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.19 bulk tier
At $0.19, Essence Leak is deep bulk — you'll find it in bulk bins or pick it up as a throw-in without thinking twice. The price reflects its fringe playability; there's no meaningful demand driving it upward, so don't expect it to appreciate.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.