Startling Development
Instant
Until end of turn, target creature becomes a blue Serpent with base power and toughness 4/4.
Cycling 
(, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
- Price
- $0.07
- EDHREC rank
- #20599
Startling Development swaps a creature's base power and toughness until end of turn and gives it flying — two lines of text that can save a blocker, kill an attacker, or push surprise damage through the air. Three mana at instant speed is the honest cost for that flexibility, and it pays for itself the moment it generates a two-for-one in combat.
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, Startling Development occupies a narrow role: combat trick that doubles as evasion grant, useful in decks that win through creature damage and need to punch through stalled boards. Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer are too fast and removal too efficient for a three-mana trick with no lasting effect to earn a slot. Pauper is the format where Startling Development has the most realistic home, since commons-only creature matchups produce the kind of board stalls where swapping power and toughness can create a blowout.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.07 bulk tier
At $0.07, Startling Development is deep bulk — pick it up for pennies if the effect fits your list, and don't think twice about the price. Bulk commons rarely move unless a deck archetype pushes demand, and nothing on the horizon points that direction for this card.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.