Messenger Drake
Creature — Drake
Flying
When this creature dies, draw a card.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Magic 2014
- Price
- $0.06
- EDHREC rank
- #28800
Messenger Drake is a 3/3 flyer that replaces itself when it dies — the rate is mediocre at five mana, but the built-in card draw makes it resilient to removal in a way most vanilla threats aren't. It earns a slot only in decks that specifically profit from creatures dying repeatedly, not as a generic blue beater.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Messenger Drake is a bulk role-player, not a format staple, in any competitive context. In Commander it finds a niche in sacrifice and recursion shells where the death trigger gets looped rather than triggered once; outside that specific home it's outclassed by cheaper, more impactful options. In Pauper, the common card pool is kinder to it — a flying body that draws a card on death has more relative value when power is compressed — though it still competes with better blue tempo pieces. Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Pioneer have no interest in a five-mana 3/3 regardless of the rider.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.06 bulk tier
At $0.06, Messenger Drake is deep bulk — the kind of card that comes in draft chaff lots rather than targeted purchases. The price won't move; there's no scarcity or competitive demand to push it.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.