Machinate
Instant
Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the number of artifacts you control. Put one of those cards into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Darksteel
- Price
- $0.11
- EDHREC rank
- #20123
Machinate lets you look at the top three cards of your library and put them back in any order — instant-speed library manipulation for two mana that costs you nothing in card equity. It's narrow enough that most decks skip it, but in shells that need to know exactly what's on top (Approach of the Second Sun being the clearest example), it earns its slot.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Machinate is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but it sees meaningful play only in Commander. In Pauper it's technically viable, but Brainstorm and Preordain do the job better at common. In Legacy and Vintage the competition is simply too deep — no one is reaching for Machinate when those formats offer the full suite of broken blue cantrips. Commander is where it finds a real home, specifically in decks that care about controlling the top of the library at instant speed, and even there it's a role-player rather than a staple.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.11 bulk tier
At $0.11, Machinate is deep bulk — you'll find copies in bulk bins or pick them up as throw-ins without a second thought. That price is stable by nature; there's no demand spike coming for a niche instant-speed scry effect, so grab it when you need it and don't overthink it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.