Shock
Instant
Shock deals 2 damage to any target.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Core Set 2019
- Price
- $0.12
- EDHREC rank
- #2234
Shock deals 2 damage to any target for a single red mana — fast, flexible, and instant-speed. Outside of dedicated ping-amplification commanders like Tor Wauki the Younger, that ceiling is low enough that Shock sits on the fringes of competitive Commander play.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Tor Wauki the Younger
Tor Wauki the Younger replaces Shock's 2 damage with 3 via his static ability and adds lifelink on top, turning a bulk instant into a repeatable, recurrable threat when paired with spell-recursion loops.
Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot
Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot triggers whenever you deal exactly 2 damage, so Shock is a one-mana draw engine — cast it, hit a creature or player, draw a card.
Electro, Assaulting Battery
Electro, Assaulting Battery cares about cheap instant and sorcery spells that deal damage, and Shock is the floor-price entry point that keeps the spell-damage count moving at minimum mana investment.
Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might
Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might replaces any red source's damage below his power threshold with his power instead, so Shock stops being a 2-damage pip and starts hitting for 4 or more.
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell adds 2 to every red source's damage, turning Shock into a 4-damage instant for one mana — efficient enough to justify the slot in a dedicated damage-amplification shell.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Shock is a role-player rather than a staple — 2 damage rarely kills what matters at a 40-life table unless an amplifier like Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might or Torbran, Thane of Red Fell is in play. In Pauper, Shock is a legitimate removal spell and burn finisher, holding a consistent slot in aggressive red decks where common-card constraints make cheap, instant-speed damage scarce. Modern and Pioneer have access to Lightning Bolt, which makes Shock strictly secondary, but it still sees fringe play in aggressive lists that want redundancy beyond the three-damage staple. In Legacy and Vintage, the power bar is high enough that Shock is essentially invisible. Standard legality makes it a budget staple whenever the format lacks better one-mana burn, which is where Shock quietly earns its keep cycle after cycle.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.12 bulk tier
At $0.12, Shock is deep bulk — you'll find copies in any common box or thrown into trade binders without a second thought. That price is stable by definition: a card this widely printed and this easy to replace has nowhere to fall and no reason to climb.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Tor Wauki the Younger
- Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot
- Electro, Assaulting Battery
- Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might
- Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.