Pyroblast
Instant
Choose one —
• Counter target spell if it's blue.
• Destroy target permanent if it's blue.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Ice Age
- Price
- $8.98
- EDHREC rank
- #447
Pyroblast is one of the most efficient answers in red — one mana to counter or destroy any blue permanent, conditionally, with no other cost attached. In the Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh // Silas Renn, Seeker Adept cEDH shell, where blue countermagic is the primary threat to your combo, this is as close to a free counterspell as red gets.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh // Silas Renn, Seeker Adept
This is the cEDH shell where Pyroblast is most at home — Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh // Silas Renn, Seeker Adept runs artifact-based combos that blue decks constantly try to disrupt, and one-mana protection at instant speed is exactly what you need to push through on the stack.
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator // Vial Smasher the Fierce
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator // Vial Smasher the Fierce is a competitive Grixis commander that wants to resolve its spells and protect its board, and Pyroblast handles the counterspells and blue value engines that would otherwise slow the deck down.
Dargo, the Shipwrecker // Tymna the Weaver
Dargo, the Shipwrecker // Tymna the Weaver is a fast combo pairing that needs its pieces to resolve cleanly, and Pyroblast serves as cheap stack interaction to fight through blue opposition while costing almost nothing in tempo.
Etali, Primal Conqueror
Etali, Primal Conqueror is an expensive green-red creature that telegraphs itself and invites blue countermagic the moment it hits the stack; Pyroblast is the cheapest way to fight back on resolution and protect the attack trigger.
Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin
Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin wants to storm off through damage triggers without disruption, and Pyroblast handles the blue interaction — counterspells, Rhystic Study, Cyclonic Rift — that most threatens that plan.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Pyroblast is a role-player rather than a staple — it earns its slot in red decks that expect a blue-heavy table, and it's essentially mandatory in cEDH, where blue is the dominant color and one-mana stack interaction is at a premium. In Legacy, Pyroblast is a sideboard fixture and occasionally a maindeck one, specifically to fight Force of Will and the blue cantrip engines that define the format. Vintage has similar logic but denser blue presence, making Pyroblast even more relevant there. Pauper runs it as a clean answer to blue tempo and control strategies at common rarity, which is rare for this kind of efficiency. Modern, Pioneer, and Standard don't get access to it, which is a reflection of how pushed the card is for those formats.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
If you need the same conditional coverage without the price, Red Elemental Blast is the functional reprint — same oracle text, same cost, and usually available for under $1. The only trade-off is psychological: some players treat the two cards as interchangeable, but if your goal is pure redundancy in a Pyroblast shell, running both is the right call rather than treating one as a substitute for the other.
Price Context
Current price
$8.98 mid tier
At $8.98, Pyroblast sits in the mid tier — not a budget pick, but not a barrier to entry either. It's a stable card with consistent competitive demand across Legacy, Vintage, and cEDH, so the price reflects genuine play rate rather than speculation.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh // Silas Renn, Seeker Adept
- Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator // Vial Smasher the Fierce
- Dargo, the Shipwrecker // Tymna the Weaver
- Etali, Primal Conqueror
- Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.