Relic Bane
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant artifact
Enchanted artifact has "At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 2 life."
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Mirrodin
- Price
- $0.07
- EDHREC rank
- #26764
Relic Bane drains an opponent for 2 at the start of each of their upkeeps — attached to an artifact, for three mana, with no ongoing cost. Narrow enough that it rarely makes the cut over faster pressure or removal, but in dedicated artifact-punishment builds it earns its slot.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Relic Bane has any real home, specifically in decks that punish artifact-heavy opponents — think Breya or Urza players at the table. In Legacy and Vintage it's outclassed by the speed of those formats; the drain is too slow to matter when the game ends on turn two or three. Modern has enough artifact hate that does more than tick life totals down, so Relic Bane doesn't compete there either. In Commander, the multiplayer life totals make incremental drain more tolerable as a game plan, and enchanting an opponent's Sol Ring or Darksteel Forge turns their own permanents into a liability.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.07 bulk tier
At $0.07, Relic Bane is deep bulk — buy a playset for the price of a gumball. That price is stable by definition; there's no demand spike coming for a narrow enchantment Aura with this low an inclusion rate.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.