Runesword
Artifact
, 
: Target attacking creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn. When that creature leaves the battlefield this turn, sacrifice this artifact. If the creature deals damage to a creature this turn, the creature dealt damage can't be regenerated this turn. If a creature dealt damage by the targeted creature would die this turn, exile that creature instead.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The Dark
- Price
- $1.05
- EDHREC rank
- #29354
Runesword costs six mana to cast and two more each activation to give a creature +2/+0 and first strike until end of turn — the math never works out. Six-mana equipment that requires repeated investment to do something a common Giant Growth does for one is not a card that belongs in competitive or even casual-tuned Commander lists.
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 |
Runesword is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but legality and playability are different questions. In Pauper, where the card pool is thin and six-mana artifacts are evaluated generously, it still fails — the effect is too weak and too expensive to compete with even budget staples. In Commander, where equipment decks have access to Sword of Fire and Ice, Swiftfoot Boots, and a hundred stronger options, Runesword is a bulk rare collecting dust. It sees no meaningful play in any format where it's legal.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.05 cheap tier
At $1.05, Runesword sits in the cheap tier, and the price is already higher than its play rate warrants. Don't expect it to hold value — cards this underpowered trend toward bulk over time, not away from it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.