How to Start a Riot
Instant — Lesson
Target creature gains menace until end of turn. (It can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.)
Creatures target player controls get +2/+0 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #7739
How to Start a Riot puts a +1/+1 counter and haste on every creature you control when it resolves — the kind of board-wide pump that turns a mediocre attack into a lethal one. Iroh, Grand Lotus decks run it because the haste clause alone justifies the slot, letting freshly played creatures swing the same turn without needing any additional setup.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Iroh, Grand Lotus
Iroh, Grand Lotus rewards you for having multiple creature types in play, and How to Start a Riot lets every one of them attack immediately, collapsing the usual wait-a-turn tax on new threats.
Sokka, Tenacious Tactician
Sokka, Tenacious Tactician builds toward combat damage triggers, and How to Start a Riot accelerates that clock by granting haste across the board so a freshly assembled team doesn't have to wait a full rotation to matter.
Ozai, the Phoenix King
Ozai, the Phoenix King wants to attack with a wide, powered-up board, and How to Start a Riot does both jobs at once — the +1/+1 counter improves every attacker while haste means Ozai's pressure lands the same turn you deploy it.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
How to Start a Riot is legal across every major format, but Commander is overwhelmingly where it lives. In 60-card formats, a three-mana sorcery that doesn't generate card advantage or permanents has no competitive home — aggressive red decks want cheaper payoffs, and midrange shells don't need this effect. In Commander, the math flips: one card affecting an entire board of tokens or go-wide creatures scales in a way that's genuinely threatening, and the haste clause is the real draw since it punishes opponents who tap out expecting a do-nothing turn.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
At $0.20, How to Start a Riot is deep bulk — you can pick up a copy almost anywhere for pocket change. Bulk mythics and rares with narrow homes tend to stay in this tier unless a new commander dramatically spikes demand, so don't expect movement.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Iroh, Grand Lotus
- Sokka, Tenacious Tactician
- Ozai, the Phoenix King
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.