MagicTheGathering.fyi

Radiate

Instant

Choose target instant or sorcery spell that targets only a single permanent or player. Copy that spell for each other permanent or player the spell could target. Each copy targets a different one of those permanents and players.

CMC
5
Mana cost
{3}{R}{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
rare
Set
Secret Lair Drop
Price
$7.37
EDHREC rank
#13856
Buy on TCGplayer
Radiate card art
Radiate copies a single-target instant or sorcery for every legal target on the board — cast it with Part the Waterveil and every player takes an extra turn, or pair it with a damage spell under Imodane, the Pyrohammer and watch the table evaporate at once. Four mana for that kind of reach is a genuine bargain; the cost is finding the right spell to staple it to.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Imodane, the Pyrohammer

Imodane, the Pyrohammer

20.6% of decks · synergy 0.20

Imodane, the Pyrohammer converts damage spells into player damage, so Radiate targeting a single-target burn spell becomes a one-card table wipe that also redirects the full trigger to every opponent simultaneously — the two cards are essentially built for each other.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern not legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Radiate is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker — and Commander is by far where it does the most work. Multiplayer means more targets, which means more copies; in a 4-player game a single cantrip or removal spell becomes four, and a haymaker like an extra-turn spell becomes a group hug catastrophe or a lock depending on who you target. Legacy and Vintage have the raw spell density to abuse it, but faster, more focused combo decks rarely need this kind of splash effect, so it sees almost no play there. In Oathbreaker, planeswalker-adjacent spell-slinging decks can find real value here, though the smaller format shrinks the target pool compared to Commander.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Strionic Resonator copies triggered abilities rather than spells, so it doesn't replicate Radiate's breadth, but it can duplicate the same «copy for each target» payoffs at around $1. Twincast and Reverberate are strict single-copy doublers — they lack Radiate's geometric scaling across the whole table, but at under $2 each they answer the same «I want more of this spell» problem when you only need one extra copy rather than four.

Price Context

Current price

$7.37 mid tier

At $7.37, Radiate sits in the mid tier — not an impulse buy, but not a barrier for a focused build either. It's a narrow card with a high ceiling in the right shell, and that ceiling keeps the price stable; it's unlikely to crater unless a reprint lands in a widely distributed product.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

← All cards

Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.