Umezawa's Charm
Instant
Choose one —
• Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
• Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
• You gain 2 life.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Modern Horizons
- Price
- $0.08
- EDHREC rank
- #25649
Umezawa's Charm is a three-mode instant that gains 2 life, pumps a creature +2/+1, or makes a creature lose 1/1 — none of which is good enough to justify a card slot in 2025. At one black mana, the price is right and the ceiling is wrong.
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 |
Umezawa's Charm sees virtually no competitive play across any format where it's legal. In Commander, the life gain is negligible at a 40-life table, the pump is too small to swing combat meaningfully, and the -1/-1 mode only kills the most fragile utility creatures — none of that earns a slot over dedicated removal or draw. In Legacy, Vintage, and Pauper, the one-mana rate is fine but the modal ceiling is so low that better options exist at every point on the curve. Pauper is the one format where cheap, flexible commons get the most scrutiny, and even there Umezawa's Charm doesn't make the cut.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.08 bulk tier
At $0.08, Umezawa's Charm is deep bulk — you'll find it in a dollar box long before you'll find it in a competitive list. The price reflects the demand accurately and isn't going anywhere.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.