Trial of Zeal
Enchantment
When this enchantment enters, it deals 3 damage to any target.
When a Cartouche you control enters, return this enchantment to its owner's hand.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Foundations Jumpstart
- Price
- $0.08
- EDHREC rank
- #27807
Trial of Zeal enters the battlefield and immediately deals 3 damage to any target — creature, planeswalker, or face — for three mana, then sticks around as an enchantment that bounces back to your hand whenever you play a Cartouche. The enchantment half is nearly irrelevant outside dedicated Trials-and-Cartouches synergy decks, which makes Trial of Zeal a worse Shock in most contexts.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Trial of Zeal is too inefficient to compete — three mana for 3 damage doesn't trade up on the board, and the bounce-back condition requires a Cartouche package that no competitive Commander deck wants to support. In Modern and Pioneer it's outclassed by every cheap direct damage spell at the same or lower cost, so it sees essentially no play. Legacy and Vintage have access to faster, cheaper burn, and Trial of Zeal doesn't have a shell to slot into. The only context where it earns its slot is a dedicated Amonkhet-synergy or Trials-matter deck, and that's a narrow build in casual Commander at best.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.08 bulk tier
At $0.08, Trial of Zeal is deep bulk — the kind of card that fills a dollar box and rarely leaves it. Don't expect the price to move; there's no competitive demand pulling it up.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.