Heightened Reflexes
Instant
Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Put a first strike counter on it.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
- Price
- $0.22
- EDHREC rank
- #15794
Heightened Reflexes puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature and gives it first strike until end of turn for a single red mana at instant speed — that's two relevant effects stapled together at the cheapest possible price. In Owen Grady, Raptor Trainer // Blue, Loyal Raptor builds specifically, where every counter matters and every combat trick doubles as an enabler, this is exactly the kind of low-cost density that earns a slot.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Owen Grady, Raptor Trainer // Blue, Loyal Raptor
Owen Grady, Raptor Trainer // Blue, Loyal Raptor rewards you for loading up creatures with +1/+1 counters, and Heightened Reflexes does it at instant speed for one mana while also winning combat — the counter sticks permanently while the first strike closes out a trade on the spot.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Heightened Reflexes is a bulk rare that sees essentially no play outside Commander, and that's the right call. In competitive formats like Modern and Pioneer, one-mana combat tricks that don't generate card advantage are simply too low-impact to justify a slot, and the counter payoff requires a dedicated synergy shell that those formats don't support. Pauper doesn't have access to it at common, and Legacy and Vintage have no interest. Commander is where Heightened Reflexes actually functions — specifically in counter-synergy decks where the permanent +1/+1 counter is the point, and the first strike is a bonus that makes it safe to slam in at end of combat.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.22 bulk tier
At $0.22, Heightened Reflexes is pure bulk — pick it up without thinking about it if the deck wants it. Bulk rares at this price point don't move unless a new commander or mechanic pushes the synergy into the mainstream, so don't expect appreciation.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Owen Grady, Raptor Trainer // Blue, Loyal Raptor
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.