Maelstrom Pulse
Sorcery
Destroy target nonland permanent and all other permanents with the same name as that permanent.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Ultimate Masters
- Price
- $0.50
- EDHREC rank
- #3442
Maelstrom Pulse destroys target nonland permanent and every other permanent sharing its name — one spell that can sweep a token army, kill a planeswalker, or erase a commander that's been recast into a crowd. The Golgari color requirement is real, but Hazel of the Rootbloom and most midrange green-black shells pay it without a second thought.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Hazel of the Rootbloom
Hazel of the Rootbloom copies instants and sorceries whenever a counter is placed, meaning Maelstrom Pulse can fire twice off a single cast — doubling removal that already erases duplicates is the kind of efficiency that makes the card a near-staple in the archetype.
Disa the Restless
Disa the Restless operates in a Lhurgoyf-tribal shell where opponents routinely go wide with creatures, and Maelstrom Pulse answers token floods or redundant threats in a single card without demanding any setup.
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 |
In Commander, Maelstrom Pulse earns its slot because it hits any nonland permanent — artifacts, enchantments, planeswalkers, creatures — and the name-matching clause is a real bonus in a format where opponents copy tokens or run multiple copies of legendary permanents through recursion loops. Modern and Legacy treat it as a versatile answer in Golgari midrange, though faster formats sometimes prefer cheaper spot removal; the floor is still respectable because it answers permanents other colors of removal miss. Pioneer and Standard lists in Golgari or multicolor shells consider it a clean catch-all, and its sorcery speed is the main reason it doesn't auto-include everywhere. Overall, Maelstrom Pulse is most at home in slower, value-oriented formats where one card handling any permanent type is worth the tempo cost.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.50 bulk tier
At $0.50, Maelstrom Pulse sits firmly in bulk territory despite being a legitimate multi-format staple — the combination of multiple printings and wide availability has kept the price floor low. At that rate there's no reason to proxy or substitute; just buy the copy.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.