Grim Lavamancer
Creature — Human Wizard
, 
, Exile two cards from your graveyard: This creature deals 2 damage to any target.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Magic 2012
- Price
- $0.41
- EDHREC rank
- #14925
Grim Lavamancer converts graveyard chaff into repeatable 1-damage pings — cheap interaction that scales with how aggressively your deck fills its yard. The activation cost of two mana plus two exiled cards keeps it honest, but in the right shell, specifically anything exile-matters like Laelia, the Blade Reforged, fueling the Lavamancer is the whole point.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Laelia, the Blade Reforged
Laelia, the Blade Reforged exiles cards from the top of your library as a natural byline, which means Grim Lavamancer never runs out of ammunition — every swing with Laelia doubles as reload fuel for the Lavamancer's next activation.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Legacy and Vintage, Grim Lavamancer is a proven role-player — Wasteland and fetch lands keep graveyards stocked with zero effort, and one-toughness creatures dominate both formats. Modern is a harder sell today; the creature landscape is tougher and two mana per activation competes awkwardly with faster threats, though it still slots into Burn as a late-game mop-up piece. Commander is where Grim Lavamancer earns its keep most casually — exile-matters commanders and wheels fill yards fast enough that its activations come cheaply, and one damage a pop is best aimed at mana dorks, utility creatures, and planeswalkers ticking up.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.41 bulk tier
At $0.41, Grim Lavamancer is firmly bulk — you're getting a historically proven 1-drop for less than a pack of sleeves. The price reflects its narrow best-use ceiling in most Commander pods rather than any deficit in raw card quality.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.