Obelisk of Alara
Artifact
, 
: You gain 5 life.
, : Draw a card, then discard a card.
, : Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
, : This artifact deals 3 damage to target player or planeswalker.
, : Target creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BGRUW
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Magic Online Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #24656
Obelisk of Alara is a six-mana artifact that puts six distinct activated abilities on the board — life gain, mill, direct damage, card draw, removal, and a pump effect — covering nearly every utility role a five-color deck could want. The cost is real: six mana to cast plus two or more to activate means you need a high-mana environment to get value, which limits it to slower, goodstuff Commander shells.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Obelisk of Alara is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it only sees genuine play in Commander. Legacy, Modern, and Vintage have no interest in a six-mana do-nothing artifact when faster, more efficient options exist at every point on the curve. In Commander, Obelisk of Alara fits five-color goodstuff decks that can reliably hit six mana and want a single card that answers multiple board states — draw an extra card, pick off a utility creature, or dome someone for three depending on what the moment demands. Oathbreaker is theoretically legal but the format's lower life totals and faster pace make the Obelisk too slow to matter.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Obelisk of Alara isn't currently available here, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the current market rate before buying. It's a niche card with a small demand pool, so copies tend to sit at modest prices — pick one up if you're building five-color and the price reflects that limited demand.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.