Forsaken Wastes
World Enchantment
Players can't gain life.
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player loses 1 life.
Whenever this enchantment becomes the target of a spell, that spell's controller loses 5 life.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Mirage
- Price
- $14.41
- EDHREC rank
- #14187
Forsaken Wastes locks opponents out of gaining life and punishes anyone who tries to destroy it — that combination of taxing effect and self-defense is rarer than it looks. It sits in the same design space as Transcendence but costs three mana less and doesn't require a life-total threshold to matter, making it the cleaner include for dedicated life-hate strategies.
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 |
Commander is where Forsaken Wastes earns its slot — four opponents with lifegain commanders, lifelink creatures, and Felidar Sovereign win conditions means the static effect is almost always relevant the turn it resolves. In Legacy and Vintage it's a legal option but too slow and too narrow; those formats punish three-mana enchantments that don't win on the spot. Forsaken Wastes never made it into Modern or Pioneer, and the formats it's legal in outside Commander treat it as a curiosity rather than a staple.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
TranscendenceForsaken Wastes
Lock; You can't lose the game due to having 0 or less life; Players can't gain life
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Leyline of Punishment does most of the same work for less mana if you're willing to lose the punishment clause for destroying it. Forsaken Wastes is the stronger card when your meta has graveyard recursion loops or sacrifice-and-return tricks that would otherwise dodge the enchantment — Leyline can't punish its own removal the way Forsaken Wastes can.
Price Context
Current price
$14.41 mid tier
At $14.41, Forsaken Wastes sits in the mid tier — noticeable on a budget but not a barrier for most Commander players who specifically need life-gain hate. It's a niche card with a small reprint window, so the price reflects low supply rather than broad demand.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.