Pulsating Illusion
Creature — Illusion
Flying
Discard a card: This creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn. Activate only once each turn.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Odyssey
- Price
- $0.11
- EDHREC rank
- #30355
Pulsating Illusion enters as a 4/1 flyer for five mana — respectable stats — but at the beginning of each upkeep you pay 1U or it gets bounced back to your hand. That recurring tax makes it a liability in any deck that isn't actively exploiting the bounce trigger.
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 |
In Commander, Pulsating Illusion is a fringe piece in decks that want repeatable self-bounce — Brago, King Eternal or Yorion-style flicker commanders that need bodies that want to leave the battlefield. Legacy and Vintage have access to it but have no interest; the format's card pool makes a five-mana 4/1 with an upkeep cost invisible. Pulsating Illusion is not legal in Modern, Pioneer, Standard, or Pauper, which is where the discussion ends for most players.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.11 bulk tier
At $0.11, Pulsating Illusion is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not scarcity. There is no meaningful demand signal to push this above bulk pricing, so don't expect it to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.