Orzhov Guildmage
Creature — Human Wizard
: Target player gains 1 life.
: Each player loses 1 life.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BW
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Commander Anthology
- Price
- $0.23
- EDHREC rank
- #20855
Orzhov Guildmage offers two independent activated abilities — a repeatable drain and a discard effect — both usable at instant speed, both costing three mana each to activate. The payoff is real but slow; this card earns its slot only in decks that can generate enough mana to fire the abilities multiple times per turn.
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 |
Orzhov Guildmage sees essentially no play in Legacy, Modern, or Vintage — the activated ability cost is prohibitive in formats where games end before you can profitably loop it. Commander is the only format where it has a legitimate home, specifically in life-drain and attrition strategies that operate on longer time horizons and can generate the black and white mana needed to activate it repeatedly. The forced-discard ability has fringe relevance in multiplayer as a political tool or to strip a top-decked answer, but it's the drain that justifies the inclusion.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.23 bulk tier
At $0.23, Orzhov Guildmage is firmly bulk — easy to pick up as a throw-in or trade fodder. Given its narrow Commander application and absence from competitive formats, there's no price pressure pushing it upward, so expect it to stay in the bulk bin indefinitely.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.