Sword of Fire and Ice
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from red and from blue.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, this Equipment deals 2 damage to any target and you draw a card.
Equip 
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- special
- Set
- Kaladesh Inventions
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #1419
Sword of Fire and Ice is one of the most impactful Equipment ever printed — protection from two of the most common removal colors, a damage ping on connection, and a free card draw stapled to every attack. The three-mana equip cost is the only real friction, and in any deck that wants to repeatedly swing with a single creature, that cost pays for itself within two combats.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Cloud, Midgar Mercenary
Cloud, Midgar Mercenary triggers off dealing combat damage with specific weapons equipped, making Sword of Fire and Ice a natural fit — the ping and card draw fire on top of whatever limit break Cloud is charging toward. At a 58% inclusion rate across nearly 6,800 decks, it's close to a staple in the archetype.
Balan, Wandering Knight
Balan, Wandering Knight can attach all Equipment on the battlefield to itself for two mana, meaning the three-mana equip cost on Sword of Fire and Ice becomes irrelevant — Balan just grabs it for free alongside every other piece of kit. Every swing draws a card and pings a blocker, which is exactly what a voltron commander needs to stay ahead on resources.
Slicer, Hired Muscle
Slicer, Hired Muscle gets donated to opponents during their turns, which means Sword of Fire and Ice's protection from red and blue shields it from the most common instant-speed answers those opponents are likely to throw at it mid-combat. The card draw triggers regardless of who's swinging with Slicer, so the engine keeps generating value even when the creature is temporarily in someone else's hands.
Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist // Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh
Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist moves Equipment for free at the beginning of combat, stripping away the equip cost that makes Sword of Fire and Ice feel expensive — Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh then connects on turn two or three with a card draw and a ping already attached. This partnership turns Sword of Fire and Ice from a mid-game tool into an early-game engine.
Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale
Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale equips Equipment for free when a Knight attacks and replaces the card draw on Equipment triggers with its own draw effect, turning Sword of Fire and Ice into a zero-equip-cost piece of kit that stacks additional damage and protection onto whatever Knight is swinging. Nearly 8,700 decks run this commander, and Sword of Fire and Ice showing up in about 30% of them reflects how much the deck wants efficient Equipment that does more than one thing.
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 |
In Commander, Sword of Fire and Ice is a proven role-player in any Equipment-focused strategy — the combination of protection, removal, and card advantage on a single permanent is exactly what voltron and battlecruiser Equipment decks want, and its power scales up in proportion to how reliably the deck can land combat damage. In Legacy and Vintage, it sees occasional play in Stoneblade-style shells where recurring a threat-plus-protection package is worth the mana investment, though neither format is its true home given the speed of those environments. Modern has the card legal but rarely reaches for it, since the three-mana equip cost is slow against the format's interactive density and most creature strategies prefer lower-to-the-ground options. Pioneer, Standard, and Pauper can't run it at all, so Commander remains by far the most relevant context for Sword of Fire and Ice.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Sword of Fire and Ice has seen multiple reprints across premium product lines, which has kept its price lower than its raw power level might suggest, though it still commands a notable premium relative to most Equipment. Current prices vary by printing — older copies trend higher, while more recent reprints offer a more accessible entry point — so checking Scryfall for the cheapest available version is the move before buying.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Cloud, Midgar Mercenary
- Balan, Wandering Knight
- Slicer, Hired Muscle
- Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist // Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh
- Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.