Rancorous Archaic
Creature — Avatar
Trample, reach
Converge — This creature enters with a +1/+1 counter on it for each color of mana spent to cast it.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Secrets of Strixhaven
- Price
- $0.09
- EDHREC rank
- #26332
Rancorous Archaic hits the table as a 4/4 with menace that punishes every instant and sorcery your opponents cast — they pay 2 life or you gain 2 life, and in a four-player game that tax compounds fast. The cost is four mana for a vanilla-statted creature with no protection, so it lives or dies on whether your opponents are spell-heavy.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Rancorous Archaic is at its best — three opponents means the life-swing on every spell can swing a game dramatically, and spell-heavy pods running blue counterspells or black removal will bleed themselves out just playing their game plan. In 1v1 formats like Modern, Pioneer, or Legacy, the effect is narrower: one opponent can choose to pay 2 life without much worry, and a 4/4 menace for four mana is well below the power threshold those formats demand. Pauper is where it's flat out unplayable at rare. Standard is the one competitive format where it could see fringe sideboard consideration against control, but it's unlikely to make a real impact there either.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.09 bulk tier
At $0.09, Rancorous Archaic is deep bulk — you're picking this up out of a dollar box or as a throw-in. It's a new card with a niche role, so don't expect the price to move unless it finds a breakout Commander home.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.