Manifestation Sage
Creature — Human Wizard
When this creature enters, create a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token. Put X +1/+1 counters on it, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GU
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Strixhaven: School of Mages
- Price
- $0.29
- EDHREC rank
- #20755
Manifestation Sage turns every noncreature spell you cast into a 2/2 manifest — a threat stapled to a threat, compounding value every turn it sits in play. The five-mana cost is real, but in Commander pods where you're casting multiple spells per turn, the board presence it generates is difficult to race.
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 |
Manifestation Sage is a Commander card through and through — the format's longer games and multi-spell turns let it snowball in ways that faster formats simply don't allow. In Modern, Pioneer, or Legacy, five mana for a 2/2 that requires additional spell investment is far too slow against efficient threats and interaction. Commander is where the math finally works: a spellslinger or Izzet tempo deck casting three or four spells a turn turns Manifestation Sage into a manifest factory, and the face-down creatures add a layer of hidden information that makes combat a genuine puzzle for opponents.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.29 bulk tier
At $0.29, Manifestation Sage is firmly bulk — zero barrier to picking up copies. Bulk rares with niche Commander appeal tend to stay in this range unless a high-profile deck popularizes them, so treat it as a cheap include rather than a hold.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.