Survey the Wreckage
Sorcery
Destroy target land. Create a 1/1 red Goblin creature token.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Return to Ravnica
- Price
- $0.12
- EDHREC rank
- #23473
Survey the Wreckage gives you a 1/1 Survivor token and adds two mana of any color — a ramp spell that leaves a body behind. Five mana for that output is too slow for most shells, making this a fringe card in token-matters or sacrifice strategies that need the creature more than the efficiency.
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 |
Survey the Wreckage is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but sees almost no competitive play in any of them. In Commander it occupies the low end of ramp consideration — five mana for two mana back and a 1/1 is a poor rate compared to virtually any two- or three-mana ramp spell, and only token-synergy commanders can justify it. In Pauper, where commons compete on raw efficiency, Survey the Wreckage is too slow to matter. Treat it as a budget placeholder, not a deliberate inclusion.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.12 bulk tier
At $0.12, Survey the Wreckage is deep bulk — expect it to stay there indefinitely given its narrow application and low demand. The price is low enough to grab as a placeholder, but there's no meaningful upgrade ceiling to justify stocking up.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.