Laboratory Maniac
Creature — Human Wizard
If you would draw a card while your library has no cards in it, you win the game instead.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Secret Lair Drop
- Price
- $12.84
- EDHREC rank
- #574
Laboratory Maniac turns an empty library from a death sentence into a win condition — resolve it before you draw from nothing and the game ends in your favor. At three mana for a 2/2 with no built-in protection, it asks a lot of the support structure around it, but paired with Demonic Consultation or an Azami, Lady of Scrolls draw engine, the ask is trivial.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Azami, Lady of Scrolls
Azami, Lady of Scrolls taps Wizards to draw cards at will, making it trivially easy to empty the library with Laboratory Maniac already on board — the two cards form one of the most reliable two-card wins in mono-blue Commander.
Vnwxt, Verbose Host
Vnwxt, Verbose Host generates cascading card draw that burns through the deck at speed, and Laboratory Maniac converts that self-mill into an immediate win rather than a concession.
Grolnok, the Omnivore
Grolnok, the Omnivore mills cards into exile and lets you cast them for free, which means the library disappears faster than almost any other Commander — Laboratory Maniac is the clean payoff for that inevitability.
Kwain, Itinerant Meddler
Kwain, Itinerant Meddler draws the whole table cards each turn, and with enough loops or acceleration Laboratory Maniac converts Kwain's group-hug engine into a personal win condition.
Sokrates, Athenian Teacher
Sokrates, Athenian Teacher rewards drawing and sharing cards in ways that naturally race toward an empty library, and Laboratory Maniac is the obvious closer once the deck is thin enough to threaten it.
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 |
Laboratory Maniac is a Commander staple first and everything else second — the singleton format's access to powerful self-mill and instant-speed library erasure like Demonic Consultation makes the payoff consistent enough to build around. In Legacy and Vintage it sees fringe play as a compact combo piece in turbo-draw shells, though those formats have faster and harder-to-interact-with win conditions that often edge it out. Modern has similar alternatives that are harder to disrupt, so Laboratory Maniac occupies a niche there rather than a starring role. Pioneer, Standard, and Pauper don't carry it, which barely matters given where its reputation actually lives.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Demonic ConsultationLaboratory Maniac
Exile your library; Win the game
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Thassa's Oracle does nearly the same job for a similar price but is harder to interact with since the win triggers on cast rather than draw — it's a lateral move, not a budget downgrade. If you want something genuinely cheaper, Jace, Wielder of Mysteries replicates the Laboratory Maniac effect on a planeswalker body with upside, though at a higher mana cost that can matter in faster games.
Price Context
Current price
$12.84 mid tier
At $12.84, Laboratory Maniac sits in the mid tier — not a casual impulse buy, but well within reach for anyone building a dedicated combo shell. The price is stable; it's been reprinted enough times to keep a ceiling on it, so you're paying for convenience of access rather than scarcity.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.