Wandering Mage
Creature — Human Cleric Wizard
, Pay 1 life: Prevent the next 2 damage that would be dealt to target creature this turn.
: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target Cleric or Wizard creature this turn.
, Put a -1/-1 counter on a creature you control: Prevent the next 2 damage that would be dealt to target player or planeswalker this turn.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BUW
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Masters Edition III
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #29991
Wandering Mage trades damage prevention for -1/-1 counters on your own creatures, which sounds like a liability until you pair it with Morselhoarder — a creature that runs on -1/-1 counters as fuel rather than suffering from them. In the right shell, that damage-to-counter conversion is an engine, not a drawback.
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 |
Wandering Mage is a Commander card through and through — the format's longer games and creature-heavy tables give its prevention ability enough repetitions to matter, and the -1/-1 counter synergy space is deep enough to build around. Legacy and Vintage legality is technically true but practically irrelevant; no competitive list in either format wants a three-mana 1/3 with a conditional triggered ability when faster, more resilient options exist. Wandering Mage belongs in a 100-card singleton deck where the counter synergies are deliberate and the combos are assembled over several turns.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Wandering MageMorselhoarderDoubling Season
Infinite colored mana; Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you and creatures you control; Lock
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Wandering MageMorselhoarderWinding Constrictor
Infinite colored mana; Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you and creatures you control; Lock
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Wandering MageMorselhoarderVorinclex, Monstrous Raider
Infinite colored mana; Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you and creatures you control; Lock
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Wandering MageMorselhoarderPir, Imaginative Rascal
Infinite colored mana; Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you and creatures you control; Lock
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Wandering Mage isn't currently available, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the current market rate before buying. Given its narrow application and low demand outside dedicated -1/-1 counter builds, it has historically been an inexpensive pickup.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.