Research Assistant
Creature — Human Wizard
, 
: Draw a card, then discard a card.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Magic 2015
- Price
- $0.04
- EDHREC rank
- #29709
Research Assistant trades a card and two mana every turn for a scry 1 — useful only when you have nothing better to do with that mana, which is rarely. It's outclassed by almost every other blue one-drop that draws or filters more efficiently.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Research Assistant sits at the bottom of the filtering pile — scry 1 per activation is too slow when you're drawing one card a turn and need real card advantage to keep up with three opponents. Pauper is the only format where it might see a second look, since the card pool is shallow enough that incremental scry effects can matter in controlling shells. Across Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer, the competition at one mana is brutal and Research Assistant doesn't clear the bar for any serious strategy. It's legal everywhere worth mentioning, but legal doesn't mean playable.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.04 bulk tier
At $0.04, Research Assistant is deep bulk — you're not buying it, you're finding it in a common pile. That price reflects its power level accurately and isn't going anywhere.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.