Rites of Initiation
Instant
Discard any number of cards at random. Creatures you control get +1/+0 until end of turn for each card discarded this way.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Vintage Masters
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #20311
Rites of Initiation turns a full grip into a board-wide pump at instant speed — discard your entire hand and every creature you control gets +1/+0 for each card discarded until end of turn. The cost is real: you empty your hand to fire it, so it's a finisher, not a combat trick, and it belongs in decks that either refill immediately or win on the spot.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Rielle, the Everwise
Rielle, the Everwise draws a card for each discard, so pitching six cards to Rites of Initiation gives your board +6/+0 and draws you six fresh cards — the "cost" evaporates entirely, making this one of the cleanest one-card alpha strikes in a Rielle deck.
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 |
Rites of Initiation is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but it only earns a slot in Commander. In Pauper it's technically playable but too reliant on a wide board and a loaded hand to compete with the format's faster, more consistent aggro and tempo strategies. Legacy and Vintage have no interest — the effect doesn't clear the bar those formats set for one-mana sorceries. Commander is where Rites of Initiation belongs, specifically in high-discard or wheel-heavy shells that can guarantee both a full grip and several creatures in play at the same time.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data isn't available for Rites of Initiation at the moment, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the current market rate. It's a narrow, synergy-dependent card with a small audience, which historically keeps prices low — expect to find copies cheaply unless a high-profile deck has recently spiked demand.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.