Survival Cache
Sorcery
You gain 2 life. Then if you have more life than an opponent, draw a card.
Rebound (If you cast this spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Commander 2013
- Price
- $0.11
- EDHREC rank
- #16136
Survival Cache gains you life and draws you a card — conditionally — for two mana, and the condition (having the most life) is trivially met in white lifegain decks that are already padding their total every turn. Outside of dedicated lifegain builds, especially Firesong and Sunspeaker, it's too unreliable to justify the slot.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Firesong and Sunspeaker
Firesong and Sunspeaker triggers off lifegain, so Survival Cache does double duty — the life you gain fuels damage, and the card draw replaces itself, making it a clean two-mana engine piece rather than a conditional cantrip.
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, Survival Cache earns its slot only in dedicated lifegain decks that reliably hold the life lead — which, given Commander's four-player dynamics, is harder than it sounds unless your commander is actively padding that total. In Pauper, the card is legal but slow for a format that punishes conditional card draw at sorcery speed. Legacy and Vintage have zero interest; two mana for a maybe-draw-a-card is unplayable in those environments. Survival Cache is a Commander-only card in practice, and even there it's a role-player, not a staple.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.11 bulk tier
At $0.11, Survival Cache is deep bulk — pick it up without hesitation if the deck calls for it. Bulk commons don't appreciate, so don't hold extras; just grab one when you need it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.