Orcish Artillery
Creature — Orc Warrior
: This creature deals 2 damage to any target and 3 damage to you.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Eighth Edition
- Price
- $0.05
- EDHREC rank
- #20380
Orcish Artillery deals 2 damage to any target for one tap — and punishes you with 3 damage to the face every time you use it. Outside of decks that convert self-damage into fuel, that downside is a real cost, not a flavor quirk. Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence turns that 3 life loss into power and toughness counters, which is the only context where Orcish Artillery graduates from trap to engine piece.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence
Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence cares about noncombat damage you deal to yourself, and Orcish Artillery triggers that ability on demand — tap to ping a threat, eat 3 damage, grow Blyte. It's one of the most efficient repeatable self-damage sources in the color and shows up in over half of all Blyte lists for exactly that reason.
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 |
Orcish Artillery is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but its competitive ceiling is essentially zero outside of Commander. In Legacy and Vintage, paying 2 mana for a 1/3 that drains you 3 per activation doesn't come close to clearing the bar. In Commander, it's a niche role-player with a specific home — self-damage decks, particularly Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence, where the life loss is a feature rather than a drawback. Outside that niche, the card asks too much and delivers too little.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.05 bulk tier
At $0.05, Orcish Artillery is pure bulk — buy a dozen copies without thinking about it. Price stability is a non-issue at this tier; it won't spike and it won't crater.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.