Price of Progress
Instant
Price of Progress deals damage to each player equal to twice the number of nonbasic lands that player controls.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Secret Lair Drop
- Price
- $14.20
- EDHREC rank
- #2758
Price of Progress hits every opponent for 2 damage per nonbasic land they control — in a four-player Commander pod, that's routinely 20–30 damage split across the table for two mana. Zo-Zu the Punisher already punishes greedy mana bases turn after turn; Price of Progress ends games where Zo-Zu softened them up.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Zo-Zu the Punisher
Zo-Zu the Punisher is the natural home — both punish nonbasic-heavy opponents, and Price of Progress closes out games where Zo-Zu has been grinding life totals down since turn two.
Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
Solphim, Mayhem Dominus doubles noncombat damage from red sources, so Price of Progress dealing 4 per nonbasic instead of 2 turns a solid finisher into a one-sided table wipe.
Neheb, the Eternal
Neheb, the Eternal converts damage dealt in your combat phase into post-combat mana, and Price of Progress cast in the second main step after a big swing can refuel the hand while also closing out weakened opponents.
Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence
Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence grows whenever her controller takes damage and deals it back out — Price of Progress is free self-ping fodder that also scalps opponents, making it both a payoff trigger and a finisher in the same two mana.
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell adds 2 to every red source's damage, pushing Price of Progress from 2-per-nonbasic to 4-per-nonbasic and making even modest nonbasic counts lethal.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Price of Progress is most devastating — four players with fetch-heavy, dual-land mana bases regularly means 8–16 damage per opponent off a single two-mana instant, often enough to end the game on the spot. In Legacy, it's a sideboard (sometimes main deck) weapon in aggressive red decks specifically because the format is saturated with dual lands and fetchlands; opponents routinely die to it even with full life totals. Vintage sees it occasionally for the same reason, though faster combo lines often make it unnecessary. Price of Progress is not legal in Modern, Pioneer, Standard, or Pauper, so outside Legacy, Vintage, Commander, and Oathbreaker it simply doesn't exist as an option.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Price of Progress has no true budget replica — the specific combination of instant speed, two mana, and damage scaling with nonbasic count is unique. Harsh Mentor taxes nonbasic-reliant activated abilities rather than dealing burst damage, and Ruination clears nonbasics entirely rather than punishing them, but neither replicates the one-shot-kill ceiling that makes Price of Progress worth its slot.
Price Context
Current price
$14.20 mid tier
At $14.20, Price of Progress sits in the mid tier — noticeable but not backbreaking for a Commander staple that closes games on its own. It's been reprinted enough times that the price is unlikely to spike dramatically, and at two mana for potentially 30+ damage across a table, it earns its cost.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.