Ruby Leech
Creature — Leech
First strike
Red spells you cast cost 
more to cast.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Invasion
- Price
- $0.31
- EDHREC rank
- #27926
Ruby Leech pumps every red spell you cast by one generic mana — a real cost that slows down spell-heavy red decks — but in exchange you get a 3/3 first striker for two mana, which is a legitimately above-rate body. The tax is the deck-building constraint: Ruby Leech earns its slot only when your red spells are cheap enough that one extra mana doesn't break your curve.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Ruby Leech fits narrow red strategies — typically burn-heavy or aggro storm builds where the 3/3 first strike body pressures life totals while you're casting cheap spells anyway. The red-spell tax is more punishing in a format where you're casting four- and five-mana haymakers, so it belongs in decks deliberately built around low-cost red cards. Legacy is where Ruby Leech has seen its most competitive consideration, pairing with cheap burn and aggressive red shells where the cost differential is manageable. It's not legal in Modern, Pioneer, or Standard, so the relevant eternal formats are Legacy and Vintage — and in Vintage, the card is simply too slow relative to the format's power level to matter.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.31 bulk tier
At $0.31, Ruby Leech is deep bulk — you're not paying a premium for anything here. It holds that price floor comfortably given its narrow application, so there's no financial risk in picking up copies, but don't expect movement in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.