Thoughtcast
Sorcery
Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs 
less to cast for each artifact you control.)
Draw two cards.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The Brothers' War Commander
- Price
- $4.01
- EDHREC rank
- #930
Thoughtcast draws two cards — and in any deck running enough artifacts, it costs one blue mana to do it. That rate is the whole story: affinity for artifacts turns a five-mana spell into an efficient refuel, and Gimbal, Gremlin Prodigy decks, which flood the board with artifacts as a matter of course, regularly cast this for U or UU.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Gimbal, Gremlin Prodigy
Gimbal, Gremlin Prodigy generates artifacts constantly through its Gremlin token production, which means Thoughtcast reliably costs one or two mana — cheap enough to slip in on any turn without sacrificing development.
Mishra, Eminent One
Mishra, Eminent One creates noncreature artifact tokens on every combat, so the artifact count climbs fast; Thoughtcast turns that board presence directly into cards, keeping the hand full through the midgame grind.
Mendicant Core, Guidelight
Mendicant Core, Guidelight builds around artifacts by design, and a permanent-dense artifact count is exactly the condition that makes Thoughtcast cost one blue mana instead of five.
Rashmi and Ragavan
Rashmi and Ragavan runs blue and wants cheap spells to maximize cascade and free-cast triggers; Thoughtcast at one or two mana is a clean hit that refuels without disrupting the tempo the deck needs.
Kotori, Pilot Prodigy
Kotori, Pilot Prodigy fills the board with Vehicles and artifact creatures, and Thoughtcast converts that critical mass directly into card advantage for as little as a single blue mana.
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 |
Pauper is where Thoughtcast has its longest competitive history — it has been a staple of artifact-based Pauper strategies for years, and the affinity reduction makes it one of the most efficient draw spells at common. In Legacy and Vintage, it sees fringe play in dedicated artifact shells, but those formats have access to more broken card draw, so it rarely headlines a list. Commander is the sweet spot for casual and competitive artifact decks alike: the 100-card singleton format rewards redundant draw pieces, artifact counts run high in themed builds, and Thoughtcast slots in as a cheap refuel that scales with the board state rather than taxing the mana base.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$4.01 cheap tier
At $4.01, Thoughtcast sits at the low end of staple pricing — it's cheap enough to include in any artifact Commander deck without budget hesitation. The price is stable given its consistent demand across Pauper and Commander; it won't spike dramatically, but it won't crater either.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.