Ordeal of Purphoros
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on it. Then if it has three or more +1/+1 counters on it, sacrifice this Aura.
When you sacrifice this Aura, it deals 3 damage to any target.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Theros
- Price
- $0.11
- EDHREC rank
- #19383
Ordeal of Purphoros deals 3 damage to any target the turn it comes off — a free Lightning Bolt stapled to an aura that also pumps your creature twice on the way there. The cost is real: you need three attacks to pop it, which means three turns of your creature surviving, and in Commander that's rarely guaranteed.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Ordeal of Purphoros sees essentially no competitive play in Legacy, Modern, or Pioneer — formats where three-turn setup windows get punished too hard and direct damage spells outperform it cleanly. In Commander it finds its best home, specifically in aggressive go-wide or Voltron strategies where the creature wearing it is either protected or already attacking every turn anyway; the 3-damage trigger is a nice cleanup tool but the +1/+1 counters are often the real reason to run it. Oathbreaker is similarly the right environment if the deck wants redundant ways to grow a creature fast.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.11 bulk tier
At $0.11, Ordeal of Purphoros is pure bulk — grab a copy without thinking about it. Price stability is a non-issue; it'll stay in this range indefinitely unless a breakout combo deck materializes around it, which isn't on the horizon.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.