The 46 Best Izzet Cards in Magic Ranked

Last updated on June 9, 2026

Electrolyze | Illustration by Dominik Mayer

There are literally thousands of instants in MTG, and Izzet () has access to more than half of them. That's why when we think of spellslinger decks that love playing on the stack and making non-permanent spells matter, Izzet is the first color pair that comes to mind. But the colors can do so much more than just cast instants.

Let's take a look at what red and blue have to offer when mixed together!

What Are Izzet Cards in MTG?

Third Path Iconoclast | Illustration by Manuel Castañón

In Magic: The Gathering, Izzet cards are those with a blue and red color identity. Goblin Electromancer and Niv-Mizzet, Parun, for example, are Izzet cards. Prismari is another name for the same color pair, and those cards will be included here as well.

The Izzet League is one of the 10 guilds from the Ravnica plane. Each guild is associated with a color pair, and since their introduction in Ravnica: City of Guilds, the guilds' names became the official designation for each color pair.

#46. Izzet Charm + Prismari Charm

We’re well past the days when 2-color charms are auto-includes in decks of their respective colors, but you can often do worse. The modality on Izzet Charm and Prismari Charm hold up fine, though I’d never expect them to be a top-tier card.

#45. Electrolyze

Electrolyze is just classic Izzet. It’s slightly worse than it was, say, 10 years ago, as creatures became larger on average, but sniping two small utility creatures or mana dorks and drawing a card is still very efficient.

#44. Corporeal Projection

Ravnica: Clue Edition was a pretty obscure product with some strange designs that were easy to miss. Among those is Corporeal Projection, which gives myriad to one creature, or spreads it out to your team with overload. That’s triple ETBs from anything that can attack, and a bunch of extra damage coming at all opponents.

#43. Colorstorm Stallion

You’ll need a lot of knights with horsemanship to tame this herd of horses. Like many creatures that copy themselves, Colorstorm Stallion is an exponential threat: Since the copies have the abilities of the original creature, they also create copies when you high-roll opus. One becomes two becomes four, and suddenly your opponent’s trampled beneath a flurry of painted hooves.

#42. Frostcliff Siege

Frostcliff Siege offers nice modality. The Jeskai mode is capped at one card per turn (sans double strike or extra combats), but 3 mana for an extra card every turn is solid. And plenty of decks want the haste ability from the Temur side, which comes with trample and a power boost too.

#41. Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna

Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna can fuel control decks: with this card, you can combine an impactful removal spell with a long-term wincon, similar to what planeswalkers end up doing in a game. It’s easy to cast Roaring Furnace first and have an uncounterable Steaming Sauna later when battling other control decks.

#40. Fire // Ice

Fire // Ice seems inoffensive, but it’s a card that’s seen play in almost every format, ever. Fire is excellent when you have to deal with many small creatures in aggro decks, while Ice ensures that you have something to do with the card (like cycling). Sometimes, just tapping a land is a huge tempo swing.

#39. Ill-Timed Explosion

Damage-based sweepers are firmly in red’s slice of the color pie, and when you pay 4 mana, you’ll usually get 4-5 points of damage. With Ill-Timed Explosion, you can get some more cards, and a little extra damage. In good Izzet fashion, the results are a little unpredictable, but depending on your card choice, you can create the best sweeper available in these colors.

#38. Goblin Electromancer + Stormcatch Mentor

Functionally the same creature with minor tweaks, Goblin Electromancer and Stormcatch Mentor do good work for spells archetypes. Cost reduction is inherently good, plus many spellslinger decks want to cast a bunch of spells in one turn, which is easier to do when they’re all 1 mana cheaper. We’ve seen enough stronger variants of these that they’re no longer must-plays by any means, but the goblin and otter duo make for a good pair of enablers.

#37. Storm the Vault / Vault of Catlacan

Swimming in riches, for fun and profit!

Storm the Vault / Vault of Catlacan can slot into Izzet decks that focus heavily on slinging instants and sorceries, but it truly shines with artifact- or Treasure-matters commanders like Galazeth Prismari (or Breya, Etherium Shaper, if we expand the color palette). It's also a solid addition to the 99 of commanders that enjoy slapping faces repeatedly, like pirate commander Admiral Beckett Brass.

Note that Storm the Vault can trigger more than once per turn if your attackers can deal combat damage to more than one player at once.

#36. Thousand-Year Storm

According to Magic's head designer Mark Rosewater, the storm keyword “is probably the most broken mechanic we’ve ever created.” So much so that Mark's storm scale gauges how unlikely an existing mechanic is to return… with 10, the scale's maximum, being storm.

Thousand-Year Storm, one of the best Izzet enchantments, gives a storm-like effect to every instant or sorcery you play. The difference is that the storm keyword counts every spell type you've cast thus far this turn (including permanents) while Thousand-Year Storm only cares about instants and sorceries. Needless to say, that's not too big a difference for spellslinger decks!

#35. The Locust God

Izzet decks just love drawing cards. I mean, everybody does, of course, but Izzet decks tend to have lots of payoffs for doing so. The Locust God is a great example, spewing a swarm of 1/1 fliers to either chump-block attackers, offer sacrifices for the greater good, or push through the last bit of damage to finish off the enemy.

The Locust God is a competent commander but more often serves as a 99er for drawing-matters commanders the likes of Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Nekusar, the Mindrazer, or Gavi, Nest Warden. In Commander games, the return-to-hand death trigger means you can dodge the commander tax.

#34. Resonating Lute

The Library of Alexandria ability on Resonating Lute is funny because it’s totally superfluous, and also somehow appeared in an Arena Draft set alongside literal Library of Alexandria.

This is a cheaper-than-normal mana doubler for instants and sorceries, which is reason enough to run it in many decks. The color fixing is nice to have, and sure, if you’re already holding a ton of cards, one more probably doesn’t hurt.

#33. Rielle, the Everwise

Rielle, the Everwise is bonkers with cards like Cathartic Reunion, allowing you to discard two cards, draw three from the spell, and two more from Rielle. Every loot effect turns into a draw two, discard one, and of course, it triggers from cycling and other similar effects. It doesn’t take long for this card to attack as a 5/3 or greater.

#32. Bria, Riptide Rogue

The best aspect of Bria, Riptide Rogue is giving everybody prowess. Plus, when you cast a noncreature spell, a given creature can’t be blocked. That’s awesome with double strike creatures, and it’s a nice combo to dish out a lot of damage considering that equipment/aura spells trigger Bria, too.

#31. Galvanic Iteration

Galvanic Iteration has been a lynchpin of many spell-based combos, especially if you take into consideration spells like Time Warp. A “copy other spells” card also gets significantly better with flashback.

#30. Traumatic Critique

Traumatic Critique is a clean and straightforward design, and should be the first Thrill of Possibility variant you consider. It shapes up your hand better than most of these effects since you draw first, but you can also randomly fireball something with extra mana. Imagine Tormenting Voice, but it also channels infinite mana into a wincon.

#29. Captain Howler, Sea Scourge

One of the more powerful and unique commanders from Aetherdrift, Captain Howler, Sea Scourge is a discard commander that packs a punch.

Ward keeps it around for long enough to pitch some cards, pump some creatures, and refill your hand when they connect in combat. This rewards individual instances of discard instead of mass discard from wheels, since each separate trigger represents another card drawn when the targeted creatures deal combat damage.

#28. Magma Opus

Magma Opus is a very powerful spell that’s worth paying 8 mana for, but what if you could cast it for free with cards like Torrential Gearhulk or at a discount? Then it becomes devastating, and some Pioneer decks lean into these combos. It’s never a dead card because you can cycle it and make a Treasure.

#27. Niv-Mizzet, Visionary

Lacking some protection to be extraordinary, Niv-Mizzet, Visionary is a must-kill threat on the battlefield. It’s extremely easy to support this dragon and draw a bunch of cards, whether by using burn spells, pingers, or cards like Guttersnipe.

#26. Enthusiastic Mechanaut

Enthusiastic Mechanaut falls in line with Goblin Electromancer and other cost reducers, but being the card type it also interacts with pushes the synergy just enough to deserve a higher ranking.

#25. Expansion / Explosion

Spellslinging decks are often about flexibility, and Expansion / Explosion provides it in spades: You get to copy any instant or sorcery (not just yours) that costs up to 4, and in the late game you can offload a lot of damage to any target of your choice.

Also note that the first mode costs hybrid mana, so you can cast it by paying , , or . And remember that you can copy instants or sorceries even if they don't have targets (you just don't choose any target in that case, of course).

#24. Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer

Its first and second abilities are interesting enough, but Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer‘s real charm is the third: This artificer turns all your tokens into a copy of your chosen token.

Notice that the first two abilities refer to creature tokens, but the third refers to any token. You can turn Treasure tokens (that Storm the Vault may have created) or Blood tokens into the 2/1 myr token that Brudiclad spawns. And they all get haste!

#23. Prismari, the Inspiration

The only thing holding Prismari, the Inspiration back is its mana cost. Seven is a lot, even more so when the table sees it in the command zone and knows what’ll happen if you cast it.

As with any storm commander, the elder dragon is best friends with rituals: They ramp it out while upping the storm count for whatever ungodly spells you plan on copying.

#22. Ashling, Rekindled / Ashling, Rimebound

Ashling, Rekindled is nothing extravagant, but you’re playing this for Ashling, Rimebound. Think of it like a wordy mana dork that makes casting your most expensive spells easier, and you can always transform it back for a little more card selection.

#21. Third Path Iconoclast

Third Path Iconoclast is Izzet cosplaying as Young Pyromancer, with the small bonus that the tokens that your monk creates are artifacts (which tend to have more synergies, like affinity).

Third Path Iconoclast sees quite a bit of competitive play in EDH, above all serving under Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph, and is also playable in Pioneer.

#20. Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind

All hail Niv-Mizzet (again), founder of the Izzet Guild!

Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind isn’t the dragon wizard‘s very best version, though. It's a solid addition to your 99 but that's about it; Niv-Mizzet's best iteration still awaits.

#19. Prismari Command

Prismari Command is one of MTG's best commands, similar in function to Kolaghan's Command when you snipe an artifact and tack on an extra mode. Removal, card selection, mana fixing, and ramping – Prismari Command is an Izzet Army knife!

#18. Ral, Storm Conduit

Ral, Storm Conduit is here to put the “over” in overkill. All it needs is a couple of spell-copy effects, like Expansion or Twincast.

Here's how: First you need Ral, Storm Conduit on the board. Then cast any instant or sorcery of your choice – you're in red-blue, so this part is easy. Then you copy the spell on the stack with Fork or Twincast, and then use Expansion to copy Fork. Let Expansion resolve and use the Fork copy to duplicate the original. Rinse and repeat forever while Ral, Storm Conduit machine-guns your foes.

#17. Saheeli, Sublime Artificer

Mixing a spellslinging payoff with an artifacts-matter theme, Saheeli, Sublime Artificer pairs well with commanders like Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer if you’re going for aggression, or Galazeth Prismari if you prefer ramping to cast big spells or lots of stuff.

#16. Flame of Anor

Flame of Anor has had quite a big impact in Modern since its printing in The Lords of the Ring: Tales of Middle-earth. At a base level, Flame of Anor is efficient and flexible, and with a wizard on board it’s in most cases better than Prismari Command.

#15. Galazeth Prismari

Galazeth Prismari outranks its newer, Secrets of Strixhaven version. If Urza, Lord High Artificer died and was reincarnated as a dragon, it’d look something like this. You’re probably doing all the usual stax stuff you’d be doing with Urza, or playing a “fair” Treasure game where you ramp into deadly instants and sorceries.

#14. Veyran, Voice of Duality

Doubling Season, but for triggered abilities! Or a Panharmonicon on a stick, if you will. Triggered abilities are one of the things that make spellslinger decks tick. The whole idea is to cast instant or sorceries and get additional value with the likes of Third Path Iconoclast, Young Pyromancer, or Guttersnipe.

Veyran's abilities make for a fairly competent Izzet commander, but it shines in the 99 98 of decks lead by Krark, the Thumbless partnering with Sakashima of a Thousand Faces.

#13. Muddle, the Ever-Changing

Muddle, the Ever-Changing is the backup commander for the Prismari Artistry deck, and a far more compelling legend than the precon’s intended commander. Malcolm in the Muddle here changes forms and gains myriad, doing most of what you can do with Corporeal Projection across multiple turns.

#12. Expressive Iteration

Expressive Iteration was banned in Legacy and Pioneer, but if you're playing Commander your deck is a safe haven for this convicted criminal. In return, you get one of the easiest 2-for-1s you could ever ask for, so long as you sequence everything right.

#11. Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain

Speaking of Izzet loving to draw cards, here's Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain: Every historic spell that you cast (sagas, artifacts, and legends) gets you an extra card. Sagas and legendaries aside, there's a gazillion artifacts to make Jhoira click as one of Izzet's best competitive commanders, and one of Magic's best artifact commanders.

#10. Pinnacle Emissary

“Young Pyromancer for artifacts” is pretty convincing. That’s Pinnacle Emissary in a nutshell, though there’s so much more play to it by virtue of being and artifact creature and creating them, too. The generous warp cost pushes the card from casual playable into Vintage Cube staple territory.

#9. Dack Fayden

In MTG's lore, Dack Fayden was the (self-proclaimed) greatest thief in the multiverse, and its planeswalker card lends a lot of credibility to those claims!

In Commander games, Dack Fayden‘s second ability snatches any of those surplus Sol Rings or Esper Sentinels that your foes don't need that badly. And this light-fingered rogue is swift enough to sneak its way into Legacy and even Vintage.

#8. Ral, Monsoon Mage / Ral, Leyline Prodigy

The existence of Ral, Monsoon Mage is exactly why cards like Goblin Electromancer aren’t staples anymore. If Electromancer transformed into a planeswalker we’d still be talking, but that’s reserved for Ral, Leyline Prodigy. The whole package here is lethal if you can chain enough spells to -8 the planeswalker right away.

#7. Lutri, the Spellchaser

We have to evaluate Lutri, the Spellchaser strictly as a card in the 99 of Commander decks, since it holds the distinction of the only card banned as a companion. That’s still better than being fully banned.

Lutri really shines in singleton Cubes, where you can companion it for free. You can use it for its intended purpose of copying a spell, or run it alongside free spells like Fury and Force of Will to guarantee you have the right card to pitch every game.

#6. Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch

Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch feeds the flames and fuels your hand each of your turns, while helping you burn your foes down. Spellslinger decks have a penchant for pinging opponents to death (Izzet's version of “Death by a Thousand Cuts”), and Exalted Flamer is excellent in that regard.

Printed in The Ruinous Powers preconstructed deck from Warhammer 40,000 Commander, this demon‘s pinging pairs perfectly with one of Izzet's most popular commanders: Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph, also from the 40K set.

#5. Talisman of Creativity + Izzet Signet

Due to EDH’s extreme popularity, Talisman of Creativity and Izzet Signet are must-include staples in almost every blue-red deck. Not only do they fix your mana, but jumping from 2 to 4 mana is a big swing. And let’s not forget the dreaded land + Sol Ring + mana rock start.

#4. Stella Lee, Wild Card

Stella Lee, Wild Card is a wild card indeed. It’s the whole package of card advantage and spellcasting payoff, and works effortlessly. The only thing keeping it in check is a lack of protection, but you’ve probably got some spells for that, too.

#3. Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph

Back to pinging opponents to death for a moment, Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph amplifies your effects that deal exactly 1 damage to any target.

Notice that Ghyrson Starn doesn't just work with single-target pings, though – with Starn on the board, End the Festivities becomes a 1-mana, 3-damage sweeper. And your gunslinging tyranid is the source of the extra damage: slap a Curiosity on it, and it'll draw cards every time an opponent takes 1 damage from you.

#2. Niv-Mizzet, Parun

Niv-Mizzet, Parun is the quintessential Izzet card. Literally: “Parun” is Ravnican for “Founder of one of the Guilds”, and this good ol' dragon is the founder of the Izzet League.

The most popular Izzet spell in EDH decks and the strongest Izzet commander at competitive play, and it’s one half of Izzet's most famous combo; as befits one of the most brilliant minds in the multiverse, Niv-Mizzet's best friend is Curiosity. Just make sure you don't deck yourself out!

#1. Vivi Ornitier

We all used to like Vivi Ornitier before Magic sullied his reputation from Final Fantasy IX. And let me tell you, he was not this powerful in the video game.

Vivi’s just a broken card, simple as that. No tap on the mana-making ability was a silly choice, and building in its own wincon by giving it the Final Fantasy wizard-pinging ability caps it all off. Just overpowered, through and through.

Best Izzet Card Payoffs

Some of the best enablers and payoffs for a spellslinger deck are mono-colored cards like Young Pyromancer, Baral, Chief of Compliance, or Guttersnipe. If the text says “instants” and/or “sorceries”, you're probably golden.

Izzet cards usually excel at allowing you to cast many spells a turn, or give you benefits for doing so. In this vein, cards like Arclight Phoenix, Chrome Host Seedshark, Shark Typhoon, and Metallurgic Summonings are excellent payoffs for this kind of deck.

What Is Izzet Good at in MTG?

Blue has some of the best card draw and countermagic in MTG, while red provides removal and interaction. This brings a certain internal tension in Izzet decks: Red tends to be the most proactive color in MTG, while blue is the most reactive.

The way to connect blue and red is often through cards that reward you for playing a lot of instants and sorceries: Many of the best Izzet cards provide a payoff just for casting spells. Izzet also has a knack for using card draw as either enabler (like Niv-Mizzet, Parun) or payoff (like Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain).

One thing that makes Izzet effective, design-wise, is that WotC is almost always aiming at spells-based tempo gameplay with these two colors. There are secondary themes that appear sometimes, like caring about artifacts, drawing, discarding, or cycling, and more recently, we’ve had payoffs for drawing two cards or casting two spells a turn. But these secondary themes still orbit around the spellslinger planet.

Izzet’s really, really good at dominating Standard. Seriously, it’s been a top-tier contender in the format for multiple years now. The current Standard banlist at the time of writing is one white card, one black card, a green card, and six blue and/or red cards.

The color pair is so strong in Standard that there are multiple top-performing Izzet decks that barely overlap in gameplans. Some of these are lesson decks utilizing the power of Gran-Gran and Accumulate Wisdom, others invoke the discard package with Marauding Mako and friends, and others still use Stormchaser's Talent as early-game pressure plus a late-game engine.

Wrap Up

Expressive Iteration | Illustration by Anastasia Ovchinnikova

And that finishes our ranking of MTG's best Izzet cards. I hope it's been an informative bit of spellslinging! Izzet's branched out a good bit in recent years, but no matter what form it takes, it almost always circles back around to noncreature spells in some way.

If you have comments or questions about these rankings, do stop by the Draftsim Discord for a chat. And check out The Daily Upkeep newsletter to stary up to date on all the latest MTG news.

And good luck out there!