Retromancer
Creature — Lizard Shaman
Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, this creature deals 3 damage to that spell or ability's controller.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Urza's Saga
- Price
- $0.11
- EDHREC rank
- #29915
Retromancer enters the battlefield and copies the last instant or sorcery cast, giving you immediate value without spending an extra card. Three mana for a 2/2 body plus a free spell copy is a real rate, and in any red deck that strings together cheap spells, it pulls its weight from the moment it lands.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Retromancer is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, and the Pauper legality is where it's most relevant — at common, it slots into spellslinger shells that need redundancy on the copy effect without spending rare slots. In Commander, Retromancer competes with a crowded field of spell-copy effects, but the attached body gives it an edge in decks that care about creature count alongside spell density. Legacy and Vintage have faster, more powerful copy effects available, so Retromancer stays on the bench in those formats.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.11 bulk tier
At $0.11, Retromancer is deep bulk — pick it up without a second thought if the effect fits your deck. Bulk commons at this price point don't appreciate, but they don't need to; you're buying the effect, not the foil.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.