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Smoldering Crater

Land

This land enters tapped.
{T}: Add {R}.
Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

CMC
0
Mana cost
Color identity
R
Rarity
common
Set
Dominaria Remastered
Price
$0.29
EDHREC rank
#3774
Buy on TCGplayer
Smoldering Crater card art
Smoldering Crater enters tapped and costs four mana, but in decks built around Escape Protocol it becomes a repeatable cycling engine — pay one, cycle, bounce the land, do it again next turn. Outside that specific shell, the enters-tapped tax makes it a liability; Gavi, Nest Warden lists accept that cost because every cycle counts toward free tokens and hand filtering.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Gavi, Nest Warden

Gavi, Nest Warden

84.2% of decks · synergy 0.83

Gavi, Nest Warden makes the first cycle each turn free, so Smoldering Crater's one-mana activation costs nothing after the first cycle of the day — it's a land that doubles as a repeatable trigger generator for tokens and draw.

03
Captain Howler, Sea Scourge

Captain Howler, Sea Scourge

24.6% of decks · synergy 0.23

Captain Howler, Sea Scourge rewards repeated cycling and discard, and Smoldering Crater slots in as a land-based trigger that keeps the engine running without spending a nonland card slot.

04
Brallin, Skyshark RiderShabraz, the Skyshark

Brallin, Skyshark Rider // Shabraz, the Skyshark

22.3% of decks · synergy 0.21

Every cycle through Smoldering Crater triggers Brallin, Skyshark Rider // Shabraz, the Skyshark, stacking damage and +1/+1 counters — the land is a floor-level cycling outlet that never gets stranded in hand.

05
Rielle, the Everwise

Rielle, the Everwise

12.9% of decks · synergy 0.12

Rielle, the Everwise grows larger with each discard, and Smoldering Crater feeds her at instant speed for one mana while still counting as a land drop.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern not legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper legal
oathbreaker legal

Smoldering Crater is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but the only format where it sees real play is Commander — specifically cycling-themed decks. In Legacy and Vintage, cycling lands are strictly worse than fetches and dual lands; no competitive list there wants a land that enters tapped with a one-mana cycling activation. Pauper is where Smoldering Crater is technically eligible and commons-legal, but even budget Pauper decks have better cycling land options at the same rarity. Commander is the clear home: the 100-card singleton format relaxes the pressure on individual land quality, and the cycle trigger is worth more than the enters-tapped tax in dedicated shells.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.29 bulk tier

At $0.29, Smoldering Crater is deep bulk — you'll find it in bulk bins before you find it on a singles page. The price is stable at this floor and won't move meaningfully in either direction given its narrow application.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.