Ransom Note
Artifact — Clue
When this artifact enters, surveil 1.
, Sacrifice this artifact: Choose one —
• Cloak the top card of your library.
• Goad target creature.
• Draw a card.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Murders at Karlov Manor Commander
- Price
- $0.17
- EDHREC rank
- #10859
Ransom Note turns every nonland permanent you control into a repeatable loot outlet — tap it, discard a card, draw a card — which means artifact-heavy and token-heavy boards convert idle mana sinks into raw card selection. The cost is real: it does nothing on its own, and looting isn't drawing, so it demands a deck that already floods the board.
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 Ransom Note belongs — wide boards are the norm, and the ability to loot across a dozen permanents in a single turn generates serious velocity in artifact, token, or sacrifice strategies. Legacy and Vintage are legal but ignore it entirely; the formats are too fast and the competition for two-mana artifacts too steep. Oathbreaker can use it in the same shell archetypes as Commander, though the tighter 60-card construction makes it harder to guarantee the board presence Ransom Note needs to pay off.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.17 bulk tier
At $0.17, Ransom Note is deep bulk — pick it up without a second thought if the archetype fits. Bulk commons and uncommons at this price rarely move unless they find a breakout combo, and this one's ceiling is niche enough that it's likely to stay there.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.