Syphon Life
Sorcery
Target player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Eventide
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #24310
Syphon Life drains each opponent for 2 and gains you 2 life per trigger — repeatable, instant-speed, and fueled by discarding a land you don't need. The catch is the setup cost: it only fires if you have lands to pitch, which makes it a value engine in discard-matters decks and dead weight everywhere else.
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, Syphon Life earns its slot in decks that generate excess lands or reward discard — draining three opponents at once compounds its value fast, and the life gain is meaningful at a 40-life table. Pauper is the other home worth mentioning: commons-only black has leaned on life-drain loops before, and the retrace mechanic makes Syphon Life a late-game mana sink when lands pile up. Legacy and Vintage have the card legal but ignore it entirely — the effect is too slow and too conditional against formats that end games on turn one or two. Modern has faster and more reliable drain options, so Syphon Life doesn't show up in competitive lists there either.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Syphon Life is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard and shipping, not the card itself. It won't appreciate; the reprint risk is low but so is demand, so buy it when you need it and don't think twice about the cost.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.