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Onyx Talisman

Artifact

Whenever a player casts a black spell, you may pay {3}. If you do, untap target permanent.

CMC
2
Mana cost
{2}
Color identity
C
Rarity
uncommon
Set
Ice Age
Price
$0.30
EDHREC rank
#24926
Buy on TCGplayer
Onyx Talisman card art
Onyx Talisman turns every instant or sorcery you cast into a free untap trigger for any permanent you control — the payoff is real, and at two mana it asks almost nothing to include. The ceiling is infinite mana loops with Isochron Scepter and a zero-cost or self-recurring spell; the floor is a cheap enabler that keeps tapping your mana rocks one extra time per spell.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern not legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Onyx Talisman belongs — the format's instant-and-sorcery density is high enough that the untap trigger fires multiple times a turn cycle, and the combo potential with repeatable spell effects scales with the power of your build. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but irrelevant; those formats don't have the luxury of building around a slow, tap-based engine when faster and more resilient options exist. Oathbreaker is a reasonable home if your signature spell is an instant or sorcery you cast repeatedly, but the smaller deck size and faster pace make Onyx Talisman more situational there than in the 99.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.30 bulk tier

At $0.30, Onyx Talisman is firmly bulk — the kind of card you pick up without thinking twice when building a spellslinger or untap-combo list. That price is stable; it's not a card in high demand outside niche combo contexts, so don't expect movement in either direction.

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Sources

Mentioned

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