Grim Reminder
Instant
Search your library for a nonland card and reveal it. Each opponent who cast a spell this turn with the same name as that card loses 6 life. Then shuffle.
: Return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Activate only during your upkeep.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Mirrodin
- Price
- $0.30
- EDHREC rank
- #29542
Grim Reminder deals damage equal to the number of cards with the same name in all graveyards to each opponent who cast a spell with that name this turn — a hyper-conditional payoff that requires opponents to play into it. The setup cost is so steep that it rarely earns its slot outside of dedicated mill or graveyard-stacking strategies.
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 Commander, Grim Reminder occupies a narrow niche: it only fires when multiple opponents cast the same spell in the same turn, which happens occasionally with staples like Sol Ring or Arcane Signet but never reliably enough to build around. Legacy and Vintage have the card density for graveyard pile-ups, but neither format wants a three-mana sorcery doing conditional damage when faster, unconditional answers exist. Grim Reminder is legal in Modern and Oathbreaker as well, though it sees essentially no play in either — Modern's graveyard decks want threat density, not situational burn. It's a Commander curiosity, not a competitive piece in any format.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.30 bulk tier
At $0.30, Grim Reminder sits firmly in bulk territory, and that price reflects its play rate accurately. Don't expect it to climb — demand is too low and the effect too narrow to move the needle.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.