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Essence Drain

{4}{B}

Sorcery

M13Magic 2013#93common

"Life's essence is a nectar unlike any I tasted when I lived as a mortal." —Zul Ashur, lich lord

Finishes
Nonfoil · Foil
Border
black
Frame
2003
Pull rate
about 2 per booster–1 in 896
Illustrator
Jim Nelson
Found in
2013 Core Set Intro Pack Wild Rush Green · 2013 Core Set MTGO Redemption · 3 more
Printings5EDHREC rank#26,275
CommanderLegalModernLegalStandardNot legal
Format legality

Constructed

StandardNot legal
PioneerNot legal
ModernLegal
LegacyLegal
VintageLegal
PauperLegal

Commander

CommanderLegal
Pauper CommanderLegal
Duel CommanderLegal
PreDHLegal
OathbreakerLegal
Tiny LeadersNot legal

Arena

AlchemyNot legal
HistoricNot legal
TimelessNot legal
BrawlNot legal
Standard BrawlNot legal
Competitive BrawlNot legal
GladiatorNot legal

Other

PremodernNot legal
Old SchoolNot legal
Penny DreadfulLegal
Future StandardNot legal
Essence Drain deals 3 damage to any target and you gain 3 life.
Plays as:
BurnPlaneswalker Removal
Market · per finishspark updated 17h ago · prices as of 2026-08-30
Nonfoil-21.4%
$0.11
$0.01 low$0.00 gapTCGplayer
Foil0.0%
$0.25
$0.10 low$0.02 gapTCGplayer
Cheapest playable copy$0.08· across 5 printings· view the cheapest printing ›

Rulings

1 · latest Jul 1, 2012
  • WotCJul 1, 2012

    If the target permanent or player is an illegal target when Essence Drain tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won’t gain 3 life.