Flame Lash

In Commander, Flame Lash is outclassed by nearly every comparable option — four mana at sorcery speed to deal 4 damage doesn't scale against 40-life totals or the format's biggest threats. Pauper is where Flame Lash is most relevant, since the card pool is narrow enough that unconditional any-target damage at instant speed would matter, though even there faster options exist. In Modern, Pioneer, and Legacy, four mana for 4 damage is simply too slow against the formats' efficiency benchmarks. Standard legality gives it a home if the format's commons are thin, but it's a last-resort inclusion rather than a first pick.