Thran Turbine
Artifact
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may add 
. You can't spend this mana to cast spells.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Urza's Saga
- Price
- $2.00
- EDHREC rank
- #10345
Thran Turbine enters the battlefield and immediately produces two colorless mana each upkeep — mana you can only spend on activated abilities, but that restriction barely matters in the right shell. The cost is zero, meaning it's pure acceleration with no tempo loss, and in commanders like Grenzo, Dungeon Warden where activated abilities are the entire game plan, the restriction is effectively no restriction at all.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Grenzo, Dungeon Warden
Grenzo, Dungeon Warden activates for X colorless mana every time you want to mill a creature into play, so Thran Turbine's restricted mana feeds the engine directly — two free Grenzo triggers a turn without touching your land drops.
Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
Xantcha, Sleeper Agent's tap ability costs three mana and draws cards, making her a mana sink you want to activate repeatedly; Thran Turbine offsets that cost and lets you keep pressure on opponents without draining your lands.
Teysa, Opulent Oligarch
Teysa, Opulent Oligarch generates tokens and value through activated effects, and Thran Turbine slots in as a zero-cost contributor to any repeated ability activation without competing for colored mana.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Thran Turbine is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker — and Commander is where it actually sees play. Legacy and Vintage have access to Mox Opal, Ancient Tomb, and Grim Monolith, making Thran Turbine's restricted upkeep mana uncompetitive at any table that cares about speed. In Commander, the calculus flips: activated abilities are everywhere, the game goes long enough that upkeep triggers compound, and a zero-mana artifact that pays for itself every turn is genuine value.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$2.00 cheap tier
At $2.00, Thran Turbine sits in the cheap tier — low enough to include without a second thought in any deck that can use it. It's a niche card with a narrow use case, so demand stays stable rather than spiking, and the price reflects that steady low-level demand without much volatility.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.