Impractical Joke
Sorcery
Damage can't be prevented this turn. Impractical Joke deals 3 damage to up to one target creature or planeswalker.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Secrets of Strixhaven
- Price
- $0.26
- EDHREC rank
- #21526
Impractical Joke makes target spells deal their damage to a player's face instead — a combat trick stapled to a redirection effect that can close games or just blow someone out mid-combat. The catch is sorcery speed and three mana, but in Imodane, the Pyrohammer decks that's not a catch, it's a feature: Imodane already doubles that redirected damage to every other opponent.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Imodane, the Pyrohammer
Imodane, the Pyrohammer copies any spell that deals damage to a single target and redirects that copy to each other opponent, so Impractical Joke's redirection turns one targeted damage spell into a table-wide nuke — it's the primary reason the card shows up in 16% of Imodane lists.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Impractical Joke is legal across every major constructed format but has found essentially no competitive traction in Legacy, Modern, or Pioneer — redirecting damage is too narrow and too slow when faster, more consistent threats dominate those formats. Standard is the only non-Commander setting where it could occasionally be live, but even there a three-mana sorcery competing for red slots faces a crowded field. Commander is where Impractical Joke earns its seat: multiplayer means the redirection can threaten multiple opponents at once, and combat-damage decks with wide boards make the targeting pool large enough to matter. Outside of dedicated synergy commanders like Imodane, the Pyrohammer, it's still too conditional to justify a slot in most red builds.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.26 bulk tier
At $0.26, Impractical Joke is pure bulk — pick it up without hesitation if the deck calls for it. Narrow, build-around effects like this rarely climb in price unless a new commander pushes them into the spotlight, so don't expect the floor to move much.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.