Lava Runner
Creature — Lizard
Haste
Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, that spell or ability's controller sacrifices a land of their choice.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Mercadian Masques
- Price
- $0.48
- EDHREC rank
- #26065
Lava Runner gives you a 2/1 haste creature that gets +1/+0 and haste to all your other red creatures — a permanent, stackable anthem on a body. The cost is real: it's a 2/1 for three mana, and the bonus only applies while it's in play, so any removal answer shuts it off immediately.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Lava Runner has any meaningful home, and even there the bar is steep — haste anthems are plentiful in red, and most of the better options cost less or do more. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but will never see a sideboard; red aggro in those formats has no interest in a three-mana 2/1. Lava Runner is a Commander-only card in practice, slotting narrowly into Goblin or mono-red creature-swarm decks that want redundant haste enablers after the obvious picks are already in.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.48 bulk tier
At $0.48, Lava Runner is firmly bulk — you're not paying for power, you're paying for a slot. Bulk rares with narrow applications like this rarely climb; pick it up if you need it, but don't expect the price to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.