Spiraling Embers
Sorcery — Arcane
Spiraling Embers deals damage to any target equal to the number of cards in your hand.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Saviors of Kamigawa
- Price
- $0.25
- EDHREC rank
- #20098
Spiraling Embers deals damage equal to the number of cards in your hand, which means it scales hard in the late game when you're holding six or seven cards — but it does nothing if your hand is empty, and sorcery speed means it never surprises anyone. It's a payoff card that demands you build around it, not a generalist burn spell.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Spiraling Embers earns a slot in high-hand-size builds — wheels that refill to seven, draw engines that keep you flush — where it can routinely hit for five or more and point at any target, including players. In Pauper, the common slot is contested and burn at common is expected to be efficient at rate; Spiraling Embers is too conditional to compete with spells that deal three for one mana with no strings attached. Legacy and Vintage have access to faster, more reliable finishers, so it sees no meaningful play there. The card lives and dies in Commander, specifically in decks engineered to keep a full grip.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.25 bulk tier
At $0.25, Spiraling Embers is firmly bulk — easy to pick up without a second thought. That price is stable; there's no scarcity story here, and demand stays narrow enough that it won't climb unless a hand-size commander breaks out and puts the card on radar.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.