Obscure Flashback Artifact from Odyssey Takes Commander by “Storm”

Last updated on December 5, 2025

Catalyst Stone | Illustration by Tony Szczudlo

One of Magic's coolest aspects, and about the Commander format in particular, is how long-forgotten cards can all of a sudden become relevant when they are exactly what a new, hot commander is looking for.

Today, we've got Catalyst Stone, a colorless artifact from Odyssey…

… which has become quite the useful tool for one of the most popular commanders from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Catalyst Stone's Price Spike

Sevinne, the Chronoclasm – Illustration by Zoltan Boros

Catalyst Stone is a pretty straightforward card: All your spells with flashback cost less to play. It also comes with a stax effect that increases your opponents' flashback costs, although that's pretty niche – but for any flashback commander, Catalyst Stone basically pays for itself with the first flashback spell you cast. Its cost reduction ability is all upside from there.

It's also what we could call a “really rare” MTG card: It's technically just a rare as far as Magic rarities work, but it has only been printed once, nearly 25 years ago, when Odyssey introduced the flashback keyword to MTG. And that makes it really hard to find.

This scarcity, mixed with a sudden spike in popularity since last week, has made the price go ballistic: From around $3.20 to over $9.50 in a few days, according to MTGStocks.What's more, the cheapest near-mint copies on TCGplayer are listed at around $17-$18 at the time of printing.

Source: MTGStocks

As seen by its price graph, Catalyst Stone is no stranger to sudden spikes that push it well over $10.

It did exactly that back in 2019, when Sevinne, the Chronoclasm. was revealed as the face commander of the Mystic Intellect precon in the Commander 2019 lineup. Sevinne doesn't literally say “flashback,” but copies the first instant or sorcery spell you cast from your graveyard each turn… which is exactly what flashback does.

And Catalyst Stone saw another similar spike in 2021 when, between Modern Horizons 2 and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, Magic printed 45 brand-new flashback cards, on top of flashback staple reprints like Faithless Looting and Strike It Rich .

So what's causing the flashback flashbacks now?

Why Is Catalyst Stone's Price Spiking?

The current culprit for Catalyst Stone‘s third price spike in its very long life seems to be Iroh, Grand Lotus.

Iroh, Grand Lotus, a new Temur commander from Avatar, has two abilities that work wonderfully with Catalyst Stone. First, Iroh, Grand Lotus gives flashback to all instants and sorceries during your turn. But, perhaps more importantly, if the spell is also a Lesson then Iroh sets its cost to …

… which, with Catalyst Stone in play, means you can flashback all your lessons for free during your turn.

According to EDHREC, about 1 out of 4 Iroh decks play Catalyst Stone, which is substantial, but far from auto-include. But coupled with Iroh, Grand Lotus‘s popularity (it's the fourth most popular TLA commander) and with how scary Catalyst Stone is, Catalyst Stone‘s price has shot up to match its previous spikes.

Third Time's The Charm?

Faithless Looting – Illustration by Douglas Shuler

This being Catalyst Stone‘s third time past $10, will the price hold?

With our usual caveat that this is not investment advice (doing your own research is always priceless!), Iroh, Grand Lotus is indeed popular but nowhere near Azula or Toph levels (let alone the likes of FIN's Y'shtola or Vivi). And while the Grand Lotus may actually have some cEDH potential, the one deck he commanded to a Top Cut finish didn't play Catalyst Stone.

In other words: Previous price history suggests that Catalyst Stone may stay costly for a few months… but will drop well under $5 sooner rather than later.