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Expansion // Explosion

Instant // Instant

Copy target instant or sorcery spell with mana value 4 or less. You may choose new targets for the copy.

CMC
6
Mana cost
{U/R}{U/R}
Color identity
RU
Rarity
rare
Set
Ravnica Remastered
Price
$0.34
EDHREC rank
#3658
Buy on TCGplayer
Expansion // Explosion card art
Expansion // Explosion pulls double duty: Expansion copies any instant or sorcery with mana value 4 or less at instant speed, and Explosion doubles as a late-game X-spell that draws cards and deals damage simultaneously. Kalamax, the Stormsire turns Expansion into a two-for-one the moment it resolves with a tapped commander, and Alania, Divergent Storm treats every copied spell as another trigger toward her damage ceiling — the card earns its slot in both decks without reservations.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Kalamax, the Stormsire

Kalamax, the Stormsire

39.9% of decks · synergy 0.38

Kalamax, the Stormsire copies the first instant you cast each turn, which means casting Expansion // Explosion on an opponent's spell already creates two copies — and if Kalamax is tapped, it gets +1/+1 counters on top of that. The combination turns a single Expansion into three instances of a spell for two mana, which is the kind of efficiency that makes this one of the card's best homes.

02
Shiko and Narset, Unified

Shiko and Narset, Unified

35.7% of decks · synergy 0.34

Shiko and Narset, Unified reward casting noncreature spells repeatedly, and Expansion // Explosion fits cleanly into that loop — Expansion copies a spell to trigger Shiko's prowess-style payoffs, and Explosion clears the way or closes the game when mana is flush. The double-faced nature means the card answers two different board states without occupying two slots.

03
Galazeth Prismari

Galazeth Prismari

33.5% of decks · synergy 0.28

Galazeth Prismari turns artifacts into mana for instants and sorceries, which brings Explosion's high X cost into reach several turns earlier than it has any right to be. Expansion // Explosion is the kind of high-ceiling spell that rewards Galazeth's mana advantage directly — cheap enough to cast early via Expansion, backbreaking enough late via Explosion.

04
Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot

Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot

31.2% of decks · synergy 0.25

Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot gives spells with multiple modes and high mana costs extra relevance, and Expansion // Explosion qualifies on both counts — Expansion triggers prowess-adjacent abilities at instant speed, while Explosion's X cost scales with however much mana Lilah's combat damage generates. The synergy is direct enough that Expansion // Explosion shows up in nearly a third of Lilah lists.

05
Mizzix of the Izmagnus

Mizzix of the Izmagnus

21.5% of decks · synergy 0.15

Mizzix of the Izmagnus reduces the cost of instants and sorceries with experience counters, which makes Explosion's X-cost scalable in a way that punishes opponents who let Mizzix accumulate counters unchecked. Expansion // Explosion earns its place here because Expansion cantrips the engine forward while Explosion becomes a lethal finisher once the discount is deep enough.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

In Commander, Expansion // Explosion is a genuine staple in spell-slinger strategies — the flexibility of copying a cheap instant at a critical moment or closing the game with a massive Explosion makes it a two-card slot in one. In Pioneer and Modern, Expansion sees fringe play in tempo and control shells where copying a counterspell or removal spell at two mana generates enough card advantage to matter, though neither format has pushed it into the top tier. Legacy and Vintage offer faster, more redundant options that outclass Expansion // Explosion at its role, so it rarely competes there. The card's real home is Commander, where the game length rewards the Explosion half and the copy effect has the most high-value targets.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.34 bulk tier

At $0.34, Expansion // Explosion is firmly bulk — easy to pick up in trade binders or as a throw-in, and the price reflects wide reprint availability rather than low demand. For what it does in Commander spell-slinger decks, it's one of the stronger bulk pickups available.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.