The 68 Best Cantrips in Magic Ranked

Last updated on March 17, 2026

Preordain | Illustration by Svetlin Velinov

Magic has slang terms for just about every card there is. Fetches, looting, fliers, rocks, and cantrips. Cantrips are probably one of the first ones you’ll end up hearing, and are of great interest if you're a blue and red player like me.

Cantrips are great spells because they replace themselves in your hand and offer excellent tempo and strategy implementation through a game of Magic. Today I’ll be looking over the top cantrips out there, even down to some of the more niche options.

Let’s get started!

What Are Cantrips in MTG?

Brainstorm | Illustration by Willian Murai

Cantrip is the slang term for cards that draw a card in addition to other abilities. They usually refer to cheap blue spells like Ponder or Brainstorm, which are included in decks to help manipulate the top of the library, though note that they rarely offer actual card advantage, instead mostly being card neutral.

Each deck likes something different. Legacy Delver, for instance, loves Predict, while Legacy Bant () Control wants Ponder and Brainstorm. There are plenty of options to choose from.

We associate cantrips with the exact text “draw a card.” While some effects place a card in your hand without actually drawing (Sea Gate Oracle), we're specifically zooming in on single-card cantrips. If it draws 2+ cards, it's generally just a draw spell at that point.

#68. Ravenous Creatures

The ravenous creatures, mostly associated with Warhammer 40,000, are X-spell creatures that cantrip when they enter if X=5 or greater. While many of these creatures are quite powerful, they slot in low as a collective because they won't always give you a card, charging 6+ mana before they truly cantrip.

#67. The Wisps

The wisp cycle from Shadowmoor consists of 1-mana cantrips that change a creature's color and add on a minor bonus. Crimson Wisps is the most played given its interactions with commanders like Feather, the Redeemed and Zada, Hedron Grinder, though they all have their place in the right spellslinger strategies.

#66. False Dawn

False Dawn is pretty similar to Niveous Wisps in that it changes colors and draws a card. The difference here is the extra in the mana cost, and it hits all permanents you control as well as all cards in your hand.

#65. Learn from the Past + Clear the Mind

If you want your graveyard hate to come with a cantrip, Learn from the Past and Clear the Mind are decent options. A little pricey, sure, but effective. If you have two of these effects, you can even loop them as a win condition because you’ll never deck, just reshuffle your graveyard into your library.

#64. Confounding Conundrum

Confounding Conundrum is up next. This blue enchantment not only draws you a card, it also prevents your opponent from ramping out more lands each turn.

What a great hate piece that I somehow have never encountered before. New Commander staple anyone?

#63. Ground Seal

Ground Seal is another cheap enchantment that replaces itself on top of having another bonus effect. In this case it locks the graveyard from being targeted by spells and abilities.

Decent graveyard hate and protection, but I don’t think this beats Surgical Extraction or Endurance.

#62. Dismiss

Four mana to counter something and draw a card is just “meh”. Dismiss is too costly and I’d rather just have Counterspell and be able to spend that 2 mana elsewhere on my turn. That said, this is the two most commonly used modes on Cryptic Command, though without the flexibility.

#61. Cloudkin Seer

Next up we have Cloudkin Seer, a 2/1 flier for 3 that also cantrips when it enters the battlefield. This is decent value. It’s a great 3-drop in Limited, but sees play just about nowhere else.

#60. Inspiring Overseer

Another 3-mana flier that draws a card, Inspiring Overseer is the best of the bunch. The lifegain is pretty sweet, and it allows this card to shine in Limited and Constructed angel decks that can effectively use that lifegain to trigger other abilities.

#59. Eye of Vecna

I think Eye of Vecna is an underrated card in Commander, and even cEDH. It draws a card on its way in and can continuously supply card advantage while also acting as a lightning rod for other artifacts you’d rather keep around.

#58. Hindering Light

Hindering Light is pretty interesting. It’s an Azorius () counterspell that hits spells targeting you or your permanents, which isn’t as specific as it seems, and the card draw is really nice. Remand is generally better, but this has its uses.

#57. Dredge

Yes, there is in fact a card named Dredge and no, it does nothing remotely close to the dredge mechanic. It has you sacrifice a creature or land to draw a card at instant speed for . This is generally outclassed by Village Rites and similar cards, though those don't qualify for this ranking, and they usually can't sacrifice lands, either.

#56. Omen

Next up is Omen, an old cantrip from Portal that costs and does exactly what Ponder does. That’s a great effect, don’t get me wrong, but you have a strictly better version available. I’d be happy to play this card in slower formats if I forgot Ponder existed.

#55. Fists of Flame

Fists of Flame is an exciting red instant that costs and draws you a card on top of giving a creature you control trample and +1/+0 for each card you’ve drawn already. Sort of like card draw in a storm-y way, and I think this would be great in basically any Niv-Mizzet EDH deck.

#54. Crystal Spray

Crystal Spray is another blue cantrip. This one costs 3 mana and doesn't really do anything, but it's a key part of the original Dandan format, so how could we possibly leave that out?

#53. Cleansing Wildfire

Cleansing Wildfire destroys a land and replaces it with a basic from its controller’s deck, and draws you a card in the process. It had a stint in Pioneer against greedy 3-color decks, sees extensive play in Pauper alongside the indestructible artifact lands, and even has a more expensive cousin in Geomancer's Gambit.

#52. Unending Whisper

Simple as it is, Unending Whisper makes for a fine cantrip, provided your deck has large creatures to harmonize it. It draws two cards, and the first comes as cheap as you could get. It works best in decks that go big and care about the graveyard, as it’s fine to mill or discard then use later.

#51. Foresight

Foresight isn’t exactly the nuts, but it’s still a unique cantrip in its own right. It sort of does what Surgical Extraction does, but to yourself.

I could see myself playing this card and then removing the rest of the copies (or some other dead card) from my deck to play with a smaller deck size.

#50. Flux

Flux allows each player to sift some of the cards in their hand and lets you draw an extra one. It’s a cute card, but I’d rather this force players to discard as many as you do. That would make it much more viable in wheel Commander decks, which is pretty much the only place where I can see this being used.

#49. Blur

Blur comes from Battle for Baldur’s Gate and flickers a creature you control while drawing you a card. This is borderline good for 3 mana, but only borderline.

Flicker effects are pretty accessible in Azorius. I think I’d rather just play Ephemerate or some other cheaper engine that I can cast earlier though, even though this one draws you a card. Acrobatic Maneuver and Scrollshift are identical or better, but blue has fewer native blink effects.

#48. Stun

Another 4-letter instant here, Stun is a red card that prevents a creature from blocking for a turn, plus it draws you a card. It's a great way to preemptively sidestep your opponent’s blockers (or lack thereof) with the upside of drawing a card.

This is cute. I could see it being used in budget EDH decks, particularly Voltron, but that’s about it. There's also Renegade Tactics, which is a sorcery, but this effect isn't really optimal as an instant anyway.

#47. Kenrith's Transformation

Kenrith's Transformation is great removal in Commander. And if you’re like me, you probably forgot that it draws its controller a card in the process. That’s great creature removal in green, especially for so cheap, and I love playing this card in just about every green deck I own.

#46. Kaldheim Runes

• Rune of Sustenance
• Rune of Flight
• Rune of Mortality
• Rune of Speed
• Rune of Might

In this spot I’ve chosen to include each of the runes from Kaldheim. These are all cantrips with various effects that work best in different situations. They were actually part of a former competitive Standard deck, and it's cool that you can attach them to equipment for an added bonus.

#45. Implode

Implode is some basic red land destruction that also draws you a card. I’m sure this was nasty back in the day, but it's since fallen to the wayside thanks to power creep. Though there is something to be said about the fact that it doesn’t award your opponent with a new basic or some other bonus. It just completely Strip Mines them.

#44. Prologue to Phyresis

There's two easy checkboxes for Prologue to Phyresis: Are you going for a poison kill, and are you playing blue? If that's a check-check for you, this is one of the most important cards for your deck.

#43. Price of Freedom

Price of Freedom provides nice, versatile land hate. It’s especially good in casual Commander: It lets you take out Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx or similarly problematic lands while being flexible as artifact removal. Giving your opponent lands isn’t great, but the cantrip makes up for it. All in all, it balances out to a reasonable card.

#42. Wheel and Deal

This is an interesting one, and by far the most expensive cantrip on today’s ranking. Wheel and Deal forces your opponents to wheel and draw a fresh seven, and it rewards you with one card yourself.

It’s not too good, and while it’s exceptional when paired with a Narset, Parter of Veils, that’s about all you’ll be doing with it.

#41. Electrolyze

Once a 1- or 2-of in Modern Izzet () decks, Electrolyze has since fallen to the power creep that has taken the lives of many previous staple cards. This is still decent removal that also cantrips on its way out, which makes it much more playable.

#40. Disrupt

Disrupt is a cheap counterspell meant to counter instants and sorceries whenever your opponents tap out. It also draws a card in the process, which makes it a much better and blue version of Mana Tithe when it actually works.

#39. Mental Note

Mental Note is a more restrictive Thought Scour. Same as Omen vs. Ponder, this slots in lower and we'll save the analysis for the better card.

#38. Scale the Heights

Scale the Heights is another green cantrip, and gives a creature you control a +1/+1 counter, gains you 2 life, and lets you play an extra land that turn. To top it all off, it draws you a card.

This is sweet, and it would be great if it cost less mana or did another potent effect that doesn’t require a creature on turn 2.

#37. Arcum's Astrolabe

While it does require snow mana to be functional, Arcum's Astrolabe is a great cantrip and artifact in decks that can run snow basics. Previously a dominant card in Modern before it was banned, this card is most commonly used in Urza, Lord High Artificer cEDH decks as a cantrip and combo piece.

#36. Sleight of Hand

One of the more unique cantrips, Sleight of Hand is really only used in older Modern storm decks, and not much else outside of that. It just doesn’t offer as much information as Brainstorm or Ponder, so it isn’t used outside of that. Being reprinted in Wilds of Eldraine gave it new purpose in Standard.

#35. Cryogen Relic

Cryogen Relic gives you a card on the way in and out, and becomes a massive card advantage engine with the right blink spells. The stun counter text is a nice addition to Ichor Wellspring, which you'll settle for if you don't have access to blue mana.

#34. Cryptic Command

Ah yes, Cryptic Command. How this card has fallen from grace since the printing of Archmage's Charm. Once a blue staple, this spell has proven to be just too expensive, even if you do get two options. Still a fan favorite that some players are loathe to cut, though.

#33. Visions of Beyond

Visions of Beyond is a card you’d think would be an auto-include in mill decks, but for some reason it's not. Twenty cards is certainly not a high barrier in formats with fetch lands and cheap spells, but it just appears to be too bad before that period to be worth running, at least in a playset. It is, however, an excellent addition to mill decks in Commander, which hit the 20-card threshold easily and will never scoff at a 1-mana draw-3.

#32. Opt

Opt is a cantrip that can be called both disappointing and decent. It’s no Preordain, but you also get instant speed to make up for the reduced scrying. I think I’d rather have the extra card knowledge, though. This is what Wizards considers the platonic cantrip, as evidenced by its inclusion in Foundations.

#31. Insist

Green hates having its creatures be countered, and Insist is a great way to get around that. It’ll tank at most one counterspell, and you know you’re good to go if it resolves. It sort of got outed by Veil of Summer, though.

#30. Scout's Warning

Scout's Warning is a cheap white instant that gives your next creature spell flash and draws you a card. This is pretty nuts for a white card and costs as close to nothing as you can get without using Phyrexian mana.

#29. Tune the Narrative

Thanks to Modern Horizons 3, wherever there's an energy deck playing blue, there will now and forever be Tune the Narrative. This just goes to show that Wizards didn't quite commit to the lesson learned from energy in Kaladesh, since this is follow the same design pattern as the once-banned Attune with Aether.

#28. Growth Spiral

Simic () loves two things: drawing cards and playing lands. Growth Spiral does both. Two mana to draw a card plus ramp out a second land for the turn is just sweet, and practically any Simic deck in Commander will play this.

#27. 2-Mana Cantrip Creatures

Wizards has greatly expanded the options for 2-mana creatures that cantrip over the years. Once the domain of Elvish Visionary alone, we now have all these other options, including Dusk Legion Zealot, Spirited Companion, Gallant Citizen, and Helpful Hunter. Wall of Omens is a particularly defensive one.

You can quibble over slight differences, like the how the Zealot costs life and the Companion is an enchantment, but these are all generally good for the same reason: They’re cheap creatures that draw a card. That’s good to flicker, good to sacrifice, good to double block with, all because the creature has already replaced itself.

#26. Aura Blast

Enchantment removal in white for ? Count me in. Drawing a card is a nice bonus too since Aura Blast can't hit artifacts.

#25. Omen of the Sea

While its moment as a Constructed playable has passed, Omen of the Sea is a great cantrip that offers some extra value later in the game when your resources start to dwindle. You get to essentially cast Preordain for at instant speed and then scry again later on. This card is great in slower formats where Yorion, Sky Nomad is legal.

#24. Abundant Growth

Abundant Growth being a cantrip is just too good. It fixes your mana incredibly well in Modern and it doesn’t even cost early game card advantage since it draws you another card on turn 1.

#23. Spreading Seas

Spreading Seas is some great mono-blue land hate that also replaces itself in your hand. This one is great at hitting utility lands and multicolored lands.

Hitting basics is a small plus since you won’t often have an opportunity to lock down a mono-colored deck, but it can still hit a multicolored deck’s singleton basics.

#22. Proft's Eidetic Memory

Proft's Eidetic Memory isn't quite as universally useful as the 1-mana cantrips, but it's a huge card draw payoff in decks designed to draw cards consistently. Whether that's a wheel strategy or just a deck playing lots of Blue Sun's Zeniths, this enchantment can turn extra card draw into excessive damage.

#21. Dress Down

Dress Down is a sweet card on its own, but it acting as a cantrip in situations where it would otherwise be dead in hand is what makes it a great card. Specific hate pieces like this are only as good as situations can make them, and the “draw a card” text on this saves it from the bulk rare pile.

#20. Remand + Reprieve

Nothing screams tempo like sending a spell back to your opponent’s hand and drawing a card. Sure, they can cast whatever you hit next turn, but it probably won’t be as good—if they even get another turn. Remand and Reprieve are basically the same card, but there’s an important distinction: Remand actually counters a spell, while Reprieve just returns it to hand, so Reprieve can stop uncounterable spells but Remand cannot.

#19. Tataru Taru

In most circumstances, a cantrip that also lets your opponent cantrip wouldn’t be worth your time, but Tataru Taru is an exceptional tool in Commander. It’s one of white’s few truly powerful ramp spells, and it often makes plenty of mana because players draw cards constantly in Commander. Since it replaces itself and makes an immediate Treasure, you aren’t worried about whether it dies, and it becomes a good creature to blink.

#18. Thought Scour

Thought Scour was once the premier cantrip for graveyard or delve decks, but that time has since passed (altough it still ranks highly among the most disturbing pieces of Magic art). Regardless of its past triumphs and more recent failings, this is still an exceptional cantrip that you shouldn’t underestimate if you see it across the table.

#17. Explore

Green doesn’t have too much card draw to speak of, at least not before 4 mana, but Explore is one of the few exceptions. It does the greenest thing imaginable, giving you a land, and replaces itself in the process.

One of the ways green ramp decks flop is if they have plenty of mana but nothing to spend it on, and this sort of circumvents that situation.

#16. Consider

Consider was one of the more powerful cantrips that came to players in Midnight Hunt. It’s a great cantrip in any deck that cares about filling up the graveyard, like the Modern and Legacy Murktide Regent decks, and appropriately replaced Thought Scour’s role there.

#15. Ice-Fang Coatl

Ice-Fang Coatl is just Simic Baleful Strix with a snow land prerequisite, and that’s just fine and dandy. Love this card.

#14. Quantum Riddler

Quantum Riddler is one of the best cards from Edge of Eternities and a frequent flier on “best of” lists, as well as lists making the Top 8 of variants tournaments. Much of this comes from flexibility: This is an amazing 2-mana play since it draws a card and “draws” a 5-mana threat that comes with another card, and it’s good on turn 5 as a bulky flier that replaces itself. It’s just so hard to remove a creature that cantrips profitably that it becomes amazing. Oh, and you can scam your opponents by warping the Riddler then flickering it.

#13. Baleful Strix

At a glance, Baleful Strix reads like just another 2-mana cantrip creature, but it’s substantially better than the rest. First up, typing: An artifact creature has many privileges that one or the other doesn’t. You can sacrifice it to Tinker or trade it in combat. And trade it does, thanks to deathtouch and flying. This might be the best blocker in the game. Baleful Strix is never a bad card, and it takes so little work to make it exceptional that it deserves a little pedestal away from similar effects.

#12. Manamorphose

Manamorphose is one of the most important and famous storm cards of all time. This is a free cantrip assuming you can pay the 2 mana and have something to do with it after.

Storm decks love this because they usually have plenty of mana but not always enough cards (at least, not the right ones), and this plays the role perfectly.

#11. Predict

Next up is Predict, which is where things get a little interesting. This card requires you know the top card of your library for certain, which can be easily accomplished with cards like Dragon's Rage Channeler, Brainstorm, and Mishra's Bauble. This is used in Legacy Delver and a few fringe combo decks, but rarely anywhere else.

#10. Serum Visions

We're edging into the top ranking with Serum Visions. This cantrip is the reversed version of Preordain, which ends up being worse but still Modern-playable.

#9. Quicken

While Quicken isn’t always the most potent spell to cast, it’s a surprisingly great cantrip for what it does. It only makes your sorcery-speed spells instant speed instead of the infamous non-cantrip Flash.

The difference there is spectacular, which is why the latter is banned everywhere but Vintage. But the card draw on Quicken kind of makes up for the fact it takes up a card slot in the first place. Borne Upon a Wind is more expensive but has broader applications.

#8. Veil of Summer

Veil of Summer is the ever-present thorn in my side as a mono-blue Commander player. This card is top-notch interaction for green decks looking to lock down interaction and clear the way for combos in multicolored decks.

This is a must-run in any green Commander deck and often even makes the sideboard in Legacy.

#7. Preordain

Next up we have Preordain, one of the more powerful cantrips that cost just one . I’m a big fan of this card because it works quite well without deck manipulation, which you can’t say for cards like Ponder or Brainstorm.

The card has been freed from the Modern banlist, where it's mostly behaved, but is always right on the precipice with other top-tier cantrips.

#6. Omnath, Locus of Creation

Omnath, Locus of Creation counts as a cantrip in my book, so it makes its appearance just outside of the top five. A 4-mana 4/4 that draws a card and maybe gains some life is spectacular, and it’s the main engine of 4-color blink in Modern for a good reason. But it’s a little slow in Legacy.

#5. Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath

Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath is banned in so many formats for a reason. Three mana to draw a card, game some life, and ramp up is bonkers.

In Eternal formats with fetch lands and plenty of cheap spells, you can often play this on turn 3 and have it online to escape from the graveyard as early as the next turn.

#4. Up the Beanstalk

Don't even get me started on Up the Beanstalk. This card is awesome. It draws a card to replace itself, draws more cards later, and has tons of other strategies with enchantment decks. The best part of all, though, is that it draws a card whenever you cast Force of Will or any other pitch-card like Fury!

#3. Gitaxian Probe

Gitaxian Probe is as close as you’ll get to running a 56-card deck, and I’d personally say it’s better. Having that information as to not only what your opponent is playing but how their first few turns will shape up is often game-deciding.

#2. Ponder

Ponder is our runner-up today, and for good reason. This gives you some of the best card selection and sees the greatest number of cards out of any cantrip.

Like all three? Have all three. Like some of them? Use a fetch land to select your favorites. Like nothing? Shuffle it away and roll the dice!

#1. Brainstorm

Brainstorm is the first-place cantrip today, to nobody’s surprise. This card is exceptionally strong. It’s basically a nerfed Ancestral Recall, and it's knocking at the door if you combine it with some shuffle effects or other hand manipulation. A+ here.

Best Cantrip Payoffs

Cantrips are best used in conjunction with fetch lands, which can provide an on-demand shuffle effect. That obviously requires a way to know what’s on top of your library, but some cantrips (like Brainstorm) can help you get there.

There’s also the surveil mechanic, conveniently placed on Dragon's Rage Channeler, which lets you peak at the top card before your cantrip resolves. This can allow you to toss it into the graveyard to avoid being drawn.

Cantrips can be very powerful with cards that care about your graveyard because they typically fill it quickly. Cast a Consider or two, crack a fetch, play a Preordain, and you’re suddenly on the cusp of delving a Treasure Cruise or making Haughty Djinn capable of one-shotting a player.

They also work extremely well with cards that demand you cast multiple spells a turn. Because they’re both cheap and replace themselves, they’re essential to trigger cards like Cori-Steel Cutter, Eris, Roar of the Storm, and Arclight Phoenix.

Why Are They Called Cantrips?

The term “cantrip” is a Scottish word for a small spell. It was popularized in Dungeons & Dragons as similar slang for a cheap spell with no real cost, like Ponder. “Cantrip” is a small little spell you can cast for cheap, often just one blue mana, that does a minor effect like draw a card and maybe scry.

Why Are Cantrips Good in MTG?

Cantrips are great because they allow you to make plays while remaining card neutral, further gathering resources and extending a lead or helping you catch up. They can also be amplified through other effects or shuffling, which can help you set up your deck to draw you the cards you actually want.

Are Cantrips Card Draw?

Generally yes, cantrips are cards that draw you a card on top of doing something else. Note that some cantrips don't actually use the words “draw a card” which means they won't trigger some number of draw payoffs.

Are Cantrips Card Advantage?

Card advantage is much different than card draw, and cantrips generally are not card advantage.

Card advantage means the spell generates more cards than it used. If you look closely, while spells like Brainstorm and Ponder allow you to see a lot of cards, they don’t actually do anything more than replace themselves, meaning they’re card neutral.

Is Ancestral Recall a Cantrip?

You can consider Ancestral Recall a cantrip since it's a cheap spell that replaces itself, but it falls more in line with “card draw”/”card advantage” than an actual cantrip. No one calls Divination a cantrip, so it doesn't make sense to call Ancestral Recall one either.

Wrap Up

Ponder | Illustration by Dan Scott

That wraps up everything I have for you today. I love these massive ranking lists because they usually result in me finding some new pet cards or cards that are perfect for some specific Commander decks I own.

What did you think of my rankings? Were there any cards you wish were included but weren’t? Any rankings you’d move around or generally disagree with? Let me know in the comments or head over to chat about it in the official Draftsim Discord.

Until next time, stay safe and stay healthy!