Vortex Elemental
Creature — Elemental
: Put this creature and each creature blocking or blocked by it on top of their owners' libraries, then those players shuffle.
: Target creature blocks this creature this turn if able.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Born of the Gods
- Price
- $0.11
- EDHREC rank
- #21890
Vortex Elemental removes any creature from combat for one blue mana — no questions asked, no size limit. The catch is that it shuffles back into its owner's library instead of dying, which means recurrence is tricky, but for a one-drop the board impact is real.
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 |
Commander is where Vortex Elemental does its best work — one mana to strand an attacking Blightsteel Colossus or neutralize a commander mid-combat is the kind of effect blue decks will pay for. Outside Commander, the card sees essentially no competitive play in Legacy, Modern, or Pioneer, where instant-speed removal needs to close games, not just redirect threats back into a library. Oathbreaker shares enough of Commander's threat density that the same logic applies at a smaller table.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.11 bulk tier
At $0.11, Vortex Elemental is deep bulk — you're picking it out of a dollar box, not tracking down a copy online. That price is stable because demand is narrow: it slots into specific blue creature-combat decks and nowhere else.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.