Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind

Legendary Creature — Dragon Wizard

Flying
Whenever you draw a card, Niv-Mizzet deals 1 damage to any target.
{T}: Draw a card.

CMC
6
Mana cost
{2}{U}{U}{R}{R}
Color identity
RU
Rarity
mythic
Set
Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari
Price
EDHREC rank
#2387
Buy on TCGplayer
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind card art
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind turns every card draw into a Lightning Bolt to the face, and one enchantment — Curiosity — closes the game on the spot by chaining draws into infinite damage. The cost is real: six mana with double blue and double red means you need a stable two-color manabase before he's reliable, but the payoff justifies the work. Arjun, the Shifting Flame pairs with him to weaponize the wheel effect into a board-clearing damage engine.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Arjun, the Shifting Flame

Arjun, the Shifting Flame

61.0% of decks · synergy 0.52

Arjun, the Shifting Flame replaces your hand every time you cast a spell, and each of those replaced cards triggers Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind — a single cantrip cascades into a storm of damage that can kill a table before anyone untaps.

02
Niv-Mizzet, Visionary

Niv-Mizzet, Visionary

51.3% of decks · synergy 0.42

Niv-Mizzet, Visionary triggers on connive and card draw, and running Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind alongside him doubles down on the 'draw a card, deal a damage' loop that the deck is built to execute.

03
Niv-Mizzet, Parun

Niv-Mizzet, Parun

44.9% of decks · synergy 0.36

Niv-Mizzet, Parun fires whenever any player casts an instant or sorcery, generating card draw that in turn pings opponents — Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind slots into that deck as a redundant damage trigger so the engine still runs if Parun gets answered.

04
Brallin, Skyshark RiderShabraz, the Skyshark

Brallin, Skyshark Rider // Shabraz, the Skyshark

29.6% of decks · synergy 0.28

Brallin, Skyshark Rider // Shabraz, the Skyshark rewards wheel effects with counters and damage, and Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind converts each draw from those wheels into additional direct damage on top of what Brallin is already generating.

05
Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph

Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph

35.9% of decks · synergy 0.27

Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph doubles any source that deals exactly one damage to a creature or player, which means Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind's draw trigger — a one-damage ping — becomes two damage every single time it fires.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander
legacy
modern
pioneer
standard
vintage
pauper
oathbreaker

Commander is where Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind has always lived: the combination of a built-in win condition and an infinite loop with Curiosity or Ophidian Eye makes him one of the most straightforward combo commanders in Izzet. In Legacy and Vintage he's legal but sees no meaningful play — six mana is an eternity in formats where Oko and Force of Will define the pace, and there are more efficient ways to build a win condition. Modern is the same story: legal on paper, irrelevant in practice. Oathbreaker is worth a mention since the format's lower life totals make the damage loop even faster, and a draw-heavy signature spell like Brainstorm keeps the engine humming.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Price data isn't currently available for Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the current market price before buying. Multiple printings exist across different products, so condition and edition affect the spread — shopping around usually turns up a copy well under a few dollars.

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.