MagicTheGathering.fyi

Rousing Refrain

Sorcery

Add {R} for each card in target opponent's hand. Until end of turn, you don't lose this mana as steps and phases end. Exile Rousing Refrain with three time counters on it.
Suspend 3—{1}{R} (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay {1}{R} and exile it with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, you may cast it without paying its mana cost.)

CMC
5
Mana cost
{3}{R}{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
rare
Set
Commander 2021
Price
$2.07
EDHREC rank
#2781
Buy on TCGplayer
Rousing Refrain card art
Rousing Refrain untaps all your lands and adds one mana of any color on top — a ritual effect that scales with your land count rather than capping at a fixed number. The Tenth Doctor builds around its cascade trigger, Rootha, Mastering the Moment copies it for repeated mana explosions, and the suspend mechanic means the payoff arrives whether or not you hold it in hand. At three mana to cast and zero to cash in, the math is almost always favorable.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

02
The Tenth DoctorRose Tyler

The Tenth Doctor // Rose Tyler

67.7% of decks · synergy 0.65

The Tenth Doctor // Rose Tyler triggers cascade whenever you remove a time counter, making Rousing Refrain a free spell that fires off a second cast on top of the untap, exactly the recursive value engine the deck wants.

03
Obeka, Splitter of Seconds

Obeka, Splitter of Seconds

46.3% of decks · synergy 0.44

Obeka, Splitter of Seconds manipulates the end step and extra-turn effects, and Rousing Refrain's suspend mechanic slots cleanly into that timeline — the free cast at end of suspend lines up with Obeka's ability to exploit phased timing for repeated mana dumps.

04
Jhoira of the Ghitu

Jhoira of the Ghitu

30.8% of decks · synergy 0.26

Jhoira of the Ghitu suspends spells for two mana, and Rousing Refrain already arrives on its own clock — but the deck's core loop of suspending multiple threats simultaneously means the refrain's untap lands at exactly the moment a big suspended bomb wants to resolve.

05
Stella Lee, Wild Card

Stella Lee, Wild Card

27.7% of decks · synergy 0.23

Stella Lee, Wild Card rewards casting multiple spells in a turn, and Rousing Refrain's free emerge from suspend counts toward that trigger without eating a card from hand, giving Stella Lee a zero-cost spell-count event.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern not legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Rousing Refrain earns its keep — the suspend trigger is free, the untap effect scales with a typical 36-land base, and the extra mana pushes you ahead by a full turn of production with no card disadvantage. In Vintage, it's legal but unplayable; rituals in that format need to generate mana immediately, and a three-turn delay is a non-starter against combo decks resolving spells on turn one. Legacy has the same problem — the card is technically legal but will never see play in a format where Lotus Petal and Dark Ritual exist. Oathbreaker is the only other format where Rousing Refrain has a realistic home, specifically in blue-red spellslinger builds that want cheap suspend fodder to trigger signature spell synergies.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$2.07 cheap tier

At $2.07, Rousing Refrain sits in the comfortable tier where you pick it up without thinking about it — cheap enough to be a no-risk inclusion, expensive enough that it won't drop to bulk. Demand is narrow but consistent: suspend-matters and spellslinger commanders keep a steady floor under it.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

← All cards

Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.