Spell Burst
Instant
Buyback 
(You may pay an additional as you cast this spell. If you do, put this card into your hand as it resolves.)
Counter target spell with mana value X.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Time Spiral
- Price
- $0.30
- EDHREC rank
- #10589
Spell Burst is a reusable counterspell that locks opponents out of the stack entirely once you can produce enough mana — the buyback cost is the ceiling, not the catch. In spell-heavy commanders like Magnus the Red that discount or copy instants, that ceiling drops fast enough to make this a genuine win condition.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Magnus the Red
Magnus the Red reduces the cost of each copy of a spell, so Spell Burst's buyback scales down with every copy trigger — what starts as an expensive soft counter quickly becomes a lock that pays for itself inside a single turn cycle.
Mizzix of the Izmagnus
Mizzix of the Izmagnus stacks experience counters every time you cast a spell with converted mana cost greater than the number of counters, and Spell Burst's buyback repeatedly triggers that condition while keeping the stack clear for the rest of your turn.
Zimone, Infinite Analyst
Zimone, Infinite Analyst generates value from casting and resolving spells in high volume, and Spell Burst's buyback turns a single card into an indefinitely recurring spell that feeds that engine without ever leaving your hand.
Vadrik, Astral Archmage
Vadrik, Astral Archmage reduces instant and sorcery costs based on power, and with a big enough Vadrik on board, Spell Burst's buyback approaches zero — at that point the card is simply a free, repeatable hard counter.
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 |
Spell Burst's home is Commander, where the late-game mana pools and value-engine commanders make the buyback cost realistic rather than prohibitive. In Legacy and Vintage it's too slow — Force of Will and Mana Drain cover the same role for free or at profit, and nobody is spending six mana to rebuy a counterspell in a format that kills on turn two. Modern has better options at every point on the curve. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander closely enough that the same cost-reduction and mana-generation shells that break Spell Burst there apply here too.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.30 bulk tier
At $0.30, Spell Burst is bulk — you're paying almost nothing for a card that acts like a win condition in the right shell. That price is stable; it's not a hidden gem waiting to spike, just a cheap piece that belongs in any deck that can actually use it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Magnus the Red
- Mizzix of the Izmagnus
- Zimone, Infinite Analyst
- Vadrik, Astral Archmage
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.