Runeflare Trap
Instant — Trap
If an opponent drew three or more cards this turn, you may pay 
rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Runeflare Trap deals damage to target player equal to the number of cards in that player's hand.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Zendikar
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #15351
Runeflare Trap deals damage equal to the number of cards in target player's hand — and in Commander, where hands bloat from group hug effects, wheel payoffs, and draw-heavy strategies, that number regularly hits 10 or more. The trap cost drops it to one red mana when an opponent drew three or more cards this turn, making it an efficient burst finisher in any red deck that cares about hand size. Red Death, Shipwrecker turns this from a situational burn spell into a reliable closer.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Red Death, Shipwrecker
Red Death, Shipwrecker forces opponents to draw and then punishes them for holding cards, and Runeflare Trap is exactly the kind of payoff that converts that forced drawing into lethal damage — the trap cost triggers almost automatically under Red Death's engine.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Runeflare Trap is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it only ever earns a slot in Commander. In Legacy and Vintage, opponents rarely hold seven-plus cards at instant speed, and one-mana Rift Bolt or direct burn simply does more predictable damage. Modern has no shell that reliably forces opponents to draw three in a single turn outside of fringe Wheel builds, and even there the damage ceiling is too inconsistent for competitive play. Commander is the format where Runeflare Trap becomes threatening — multiplayer tables run Howling Mine effects, Nekusar triggers, and wheel spells that routinely push hand sizes past ten, and the trap cost is nearly free to enable.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
At $0.20, Runeflare Trap is deep bulk — a throwaway pickup from any dollar bin or bundle order. It won't appreciate; it's a narrow Commander card with low crossover demand, so don't expect the price to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.