Mind Bomb
Sorcery
Each player may discard up to three cards. Mind Bomb deals damage to each player equal to 3 minus the number of cards they discarded this way.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- The Dark
- Price
- $4.67
- EDHREC rank
- #17534
Mind Bomb hits every opponent for up to 3 damage each — potentially 9 damage distributed across the table for a single blue mana, as long as each player can't or won't discard three cards to zero out their share. The catch is that everyone gets the choice, so well-stocked hands walk away clean; the payoff belongs to decks that can trigger off the spell itself, like Niv-Mizzet, Visionary, where the cast alone draws a card and deals another point regardless of what opponents discard.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Niv-Mizzet, Visionary
Niv-Mizzet, Visionary triggers on every instant and sorcery cast, so Mind Bomb replaces itself and pings a player before the damage-or-discard math even resolves — that baseline value makes the card worth a slot even in games where opponents dump three cards to dodge the burn.
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 |
In Commander, Mind Bomb punches above its cost in the early game when hands are full and opponents are reluctant to pitch cards to dodge 3 damage — and with four players at the table, the ceiling is a one-mana Earthquake for 3. Legacy and Vintage legality is largely academic; the effect isn't close to constructed-competitive in formats where opponents routinely manage hand size with precision. Commander is the only real home, and even there Mind Bomb is a role-player rather than a staple — run it in spell-trigger decks that extract value from the cast itself, not as a generic damage piece.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$4.67 cheap tier
At $4.67, Mind Bomb sits at the high end of what you'd expect for a narrow one-mana sorcery with limited format legality — the price reflects collector demand and low reprint history more than competitive ubiquity. It's not a snap-buy for most decks, but in a dedicated Niv-Mizzet, Visionary build where it earns its slot, the cost is reasonable.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.