Sanguinary Mage
Creature — Vampire Wizard
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Shadows over Innistrad
- Price
- $0.06
- EDHREC rank
- #23251
Sanguinary Mage is a 1/3 prowess creature for two mana that grows when you cast noncreature spells — functional, but competing in formats full of creatures that do far more. It's a reasonable budget body in dedicated spellslinger builds and little else.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Sanguinary Mage fits narrow spellslinger strategies — think Zada, Hedron Grinder or Mizzix of the Izmagnus — but a 1/3 with prowess rarely pulls enough weight in a 100-card singleton format where every slot competes hard. In Pauper, the commons pool keeps Sanguinary Mage marginally relevant in Izzet spells decks, though better prowess options exist at the same rarity. Modern and Pioneer have long since left it behind — Monastery Swiftspear and Soul-Scar Mage occupy that design space more efficiently. Legacy and Vintage don't want it at all.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.06 bulk tier
At $0.06, Sanguinary Mage is deep bulk — the kind of card you find in a box at your LGS rather than a singles order. That price is a ceiling, not a floor; there's no trajectory that makes this a meaningful financial pickup.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.