Mercadian Lift
Artifact
, 
: Put a winch counter on this artifact., Remove X winch counters from this artifact: You may put a creature card with mana value X from your hand onto the battlefield.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Mercadian Masques
- Price
- $0.42
- EDHREC rank
- #27712
Mercadian Lift puts a 1/1 Balloon token onto the field each turn for free once its activation cost is paid — the problem is that activation costs three mana and a tap each time you want to use it, which is a brutal ask for a 1/1 with flying. The value floor is low enough that Mercadian Lift belongs only in decks that have a specific reason to want cheap, repeatable token generation.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is the only realistic home for Mercadian Lift, and even there it needs justification — token-count payoffs like Doubling Season or aristocrat engines are the only contexts where grinding out a 1/1 per turn is worth a slot. Legacy and Vintage are legal but irrelevant; no competitive shell wants this effect at this speed. Mercadian Lift simply doesn't have the rate for any format where efficiency is tested.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.42 bulk tier
At $0.42, Mercadian Lift sits firmly in bulk territory, which tracks — demand is narrow and supply from a print-heavy era keeps the price pinned. Don't expect movement in either direction; this is a card you pull from a box, not one you buy.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.