Unstable Experiment
Instant
Target player draws a card, then up to one target creature you control connives. (Draw a card, then discard a card. If you discarded a nonland card, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Price
- $0.16
- EDHREC rank
- #10109
Unstable Experiment lands as a sorcery-speed draw spell that scales with how many counters or charge markers you can dump onto it — the upside is real, but the setup cost means you're not running it for the floor. Think of it as the Norman Osborn of your spell suite: powerful when the experiment goes right, a liability when it doesn't.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Norman Osborn
Norman Osborn's ability to weaponize goblin tokens and manipulate counters turns Unstable Experiment into a legitimate payoff — the same engine that generates board presence also fuels the spell's draw ceiling, making it a natural fit in nearly a third of all Norman Osborn lists.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Unstable Experiment is legal across every major format but only meaningfully shows up in Commander, where the slower pace gives you time to set up the conditions that make it draw three or four cards instead of one. In competitive 60-card formats like Modern or Pioneer, it loses to cheaper, unconditional draw spells that don't ask you to jump through hoops. Pauper is its most interesting non-Commander home — if a counter-focused commons shell can meet the threshold, the card punches above its mana cost — but that niche hasn't broken through. For Commander players, it's a role-player in decks that already care about the mechanic it rewards, not a generic slot-filler.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.16 bulk tier
At $0.16, Unstable Experiment sits firmly in bulk territory — you're picking it up as a throw-in, not a purchase. That price is stable; there's no spike risk and no reason it climbs unless a counter-heavy commander drives sudden demand.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Norman Osborn
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.