Retributive Wand
Artifact
, 
: This artifact deals 1 damage to any target.
When this artifact is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, it deals 5 damage to any target.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Core Set 2020
- Price
- $0.12
- EDHREC rank
- #22365
Retributive Wand pings any target for 3 damage when it dies — a one-time 3-damage rider stapled to a three-mana artifact that does nothing until it leaves. The payoff is too small and too conditional to justify a slot outside narrow sacrifice-matters builds.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Retributive Wand is legal across competitive formats but sees essentially zero play in any of them. In Commander, the 3-damage death trigger is negligible at 40 life, and three mana for a do-nothing artifact is a steep ask without a guaranteed sacrifice outlet. Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer have no shell that wants this effect — efficient burn and real sacrifice payoffs exist at the same cost or cheaper. Oathbreaker shares Commander's multiplayer math and the same verdict applies.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.12 bulk tier
At $0.12, Retributive Wand is deep bulk — the kind of card that shows up in draft chaff piles and collection binders but rarely in decklists. Demand is low enough that this price is a ceiling, not a floor.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.