Perilous Research
Instant
Draw two cards, then sacrifice a permanent.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Modern Masters
- Price
- $0.53
- EDHREC rank
- #9357
Perilous Research draws two cards for two mana — the sacrifice is the point, not the penalty. In any deck running expendable tokens, sacrifice payoffs, or enter-the-battlefield engines, the downside evaporates entirely; Minn, Wily Illusionist turns the sacrificed Illusion into another card draw trigger before it ever hits the graveyard.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Minn, Wily Illusionist
Minn, Wily Illusionist creates Illusion tokens that draw a card when they die, so Perilous Research sacrificing one of them replaces itself twice over — two cards from the spell, one from the token's death trigger.
Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor
Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor cares about Curses entering the battlefield and leaving the battlefield, and the deck runs plenty of disposable permanents to feed a sacrifice; Perilous Research slots in as cheap cycle fuel that keeps the Curse engine moving.
The Watcher in the Water
The Watcher in the Water needs tentacle tokens on board to stay cheap, and sacrificing one to Perilous Research is a clean exchange — you spend a token, draw two, and the Kraken's cost reduction is unaffected as long as enough tentacles remain.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Perilous Research is a Commander card first and foremost — the format's abundance of token generators, sacrifice synergies, and ETB engines consistently neutralizes the cost. In Pauper it sees real play as a burst draw option in Tortured Existence and similar graveyard strategies where feeding the yard is upside. Legacy and Vintage have faster, unconditional draw at the same cost, so Perilous Research doesn't make the cut in those formats outside of highly specific sacrifice shells. Modern is the same story — Opt and Consider exist at one mana, and two mana needs to do more than draw two with a string attached unless your deck is built to profit from the sacrifice.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.53 bulk tier
At $0.53, Perilous Research is bulk — easy to pick up as a throw-in or cheap acquisition for any sacrifice-themed Commander build. The price is stable; this is a role-player with a narrow audience, so don't expect movement in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Minn, Wily Illusionist
- Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor
- The Watcher in the Water
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.