Illuminator Virtuoso
Creature — Human Rogue
Double strike
Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell you control, it connives. (Draw a card, then discard a card. If you discarded a nonland card, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Streets of New Capenna
- Price
- $0.22
- EDHREC rank
- #16085
Illuminator Virtuoso grows into a serious threat fast — two instances of connive per combat means it can double-strike its way to lethal in a handful of turns while filtering your draws along the way. The cost is real: it needs a spell-heavy or connive-enabling shell to do anything, and without repeated enablement it's a vanilla 1/1 with double strike.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Illuminator Virtuoso fits neatly into Dimir or Esper spellslinger builds where cantrips and cheap interaction are already flowing — connive triggers stack up quickly when you're casting two or three spells a turn. In Pioneer and Modern, it found a home in Azorius or Dimir tempo shells that can reliably trigger it on curve, though it competes with faster threats at the same slot. Legacy isn't hostile to it, but the format's velocity means a 1/1 that needs setup rarely keeps pace. Oathbreaker is the Commander analogue and the same logic applies: the more spells-matter support your signature spell provides, the better Illuminator Virtuoso looks.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.22 bulk tier
At $0.22, Illuminator Virtuoso is firmly bulk — easy to pick up as a playset without a second thought. It's unlikely to appreciate unless a new Commander or Pioneer shell breaks it out, so grab copies for the synergy, not the spec.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.