Mage Hunter
Creature — Horror
Whenever an opponent casts or copies an instant or sorcery spell, they lose 1 life.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Strixhaven: School of Mages
- Price
- $0.13
- EDHREC rank
- #16857
Mage Hunter punishes every spell your opponents cast by draining them for 1 life and gaining you 1, which adds up fast in a multiplayer game where spells fly constantly. At five mana for a 2/3, the body is irrelevant — you're paying for the effect, and in spell-heavy pods it delivers.
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 Mage Hunter earns its keep: three opponents casting spells across a long game means the life drain accumulates without you doing anything extra. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it's a non-starter — five mana for a marginal drain effect can't compete with the speed and power of those formats. Oathbreaker is a reasonable home if your meta is spell-dense enough to make the passive matter.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.13 bulk tier
At $0.13, Mage Hunter is deep bulk — you're paying next to nothing for the effect. Bulk rares rarely spike without a breakout Standard or Modern application, and Mage Hunter has neither, so don't expect movement.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.