Lay Bare the Heart
Sorcery
Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a nonlegendary, nonland card from it. That player discards that card.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Amonkhet
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #24054
Lay Bare the Heart strips any nonlegendary, non-planeswalker card from an opponent's hand for two mana — clean two-for-one disruption at instant speed that hits the scariest combo pieces and finishers before they land. The legendary and planeswalker carve-outs are real limitations, but at this cost, it's one of the most efficient targeted discard effects black has access to.
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 |
Commander is where Lay Bare the Heart earns its slot — in a four-player pod, you get to see one hand and strip its most threatening non-legend before it resolves, which is meaningful disruption in combo-heavy metas. The legendary exemption stings occasionally when an opponent's key piece is a legendary creature, but most combo payoffs and glass-cannon finishers are fair game. In competitive 1v1 formats like Legacy and Vintage, two-mana discard competes against Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek, which hit everything and cost one — Lay Bare the Heart doesn't make those cuts. Pioneer and Modern are similar stories: the card is legal but strictly outclassed by the one-mana options available.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Lay Bare the Heart is deep bulk — grab a copy without thinking twice. Bulk discard spells rarely spike, and with Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek filling demand in competitive formats, there's no pressure driving this one up.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.