Magic Mana Cost Comparison
Converted mana costs, from Black Lotus at 0 to Draco at 16. Pick any two.
Visual comparison
All values
Click any row to load it as Entry A.
| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Lotus Lowest here. Taps for three of any color. | 0 mana | Artifact, Alpha 1993 | Gatherer: Black Lotus mana cost 0 |
| Ancestral Recall One blue draws three cards. | 1 mana | Instant, Alpha, Power Nine | Gatherer: Ancestral Recall mana cost U (CMC 1) |
| Lightning Bolt Ties Recall. Three damage for one red. | 1 mana | Instant, Alpha | Gatherer: Lightning Bolt mana cost R (CMC 1) |
| Swords to Plowshares Ties Bolt. Exiles any creature. | 1 mana | Instant, Alpha | Gatherer: Swords to Plowshares mana cost W (CMC 1) |
| Dark Ritual Ties Bolt. One black makes three. | 1 mana | Instant, Alpha | Gatherer: Dark Ritual mana cost B (CMC 1) |
| Giant Growth Ties Bolt. Plus three plus three. | 1 mana | Instant, Alpha | Gatherer: Giant Growth mana cost G (CMC 1) |
| Counterspell Two blue stops any spell. | 2 mana | Instant, Alpha | Gatherer: Counterspell mana cost UU (CMC 2) |
| Wrath of God Two over Counterspell. Clears the board. | 4 mana | Sorcery, Alpha | Gatherer: Wrath of God mana cost 2WW (CMC 4) |
| Serra Angel One over Wrath. Vigilance classic. | 5 mana | Creature 4/4, Alpha | Gatherer: Serra Angel mana cost 3WW (CMC 5) |
| Shivan Dragon Ties Djinn at 6. Firebreathing finisher. | 6 mana | Creature 5/5, Alpha | Gatherer: Shivan Dragon mana cost 4RR (CMC 6) |
| Mahamoti Djinn Ties Dragon. Blue Serra beater. | 6 mana | Creature 5/6, Alpha | Gatherer: Mahamoti Djinn mana cost 4UU (CMC 6) |
| Force of Nature Two over the dragons. Four green pips. | 8 mana | Creature 8/8, Alpha | Gatherer: Force of Nature mana cost 2GGGG (CMC 8) |
| Progenitus Ties Kozilek. Every color twice. | 10 mana | Creature 10/10, Conflux | Gatherer: Progenitus mana cost WWUUBBRRGG (CMC 10) |
| Kozilek Butcher of Truth Ties Progenitus. Ten colorless. | 10 mana | Creature 12/12, Rise of the Eldrazi | Gatherer: Kozilek Butcher of Truth mana cost 10 (CMC 10) |
| Blightsteel Colossus Two over Kozilek. One-shot infect kill. | 12 mana | Artifact 11/11, Mirrodin Besieged | Gatherer: Blightsteel Colossus mana cost 12 (CMC 12) |
| Emrakul the Aeons Torn Three over Blightsteel. Extra turn cast trigger. | 15 mana | Creature 15/15, Rise of the Eldrazi | Gatherer: Emrakul the Aeons Torn mana cost 15 (CMC 15) |
| Draco Top here. Highest CMC ever printed. | 16 mana | Creature 9/9, Planeshift | Gatherer: Draco mana cost 16 (CMC 16) |
About this converter
Magic prints a mana cost on every card from 0 to 16. Black Lotus opens at 0, Ancestral Recall, Lightning Bolt, Swords to Plowshares, Dark Ritual and Giant Growth tied at 1, Counterspell at 2, Wrath of God at 4, Serra Angel at 5, Shivan Dragon and Mahamoti Djinn tied at 6, Force of Nature at 8, Progenitus and Kozilek tied at 10, Blightsteel Colossus at 12, Emrakul at 15 and Draco at 16. That makes one Draco equal sixteen Lightning Bolts of mana. Every value here is the official converted cost with alternate casting tricks left out.
How to use it
Pick two cards and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked. Change any box and the other two update. One box holds a count of the first, one holds the matching count of the second, one holds the total in mana. Try 1 Draco against Lightning Bolts.
Force of Will pitches a blue card instead of paying five, and similar alternate costs cheat these numbers in play, so the table pins printed costs to keep rows comparable. Power and toughness for classic creatures run on the companion power page.
FAQ
What costs the most mana?
Draco at 16, the highest converted cost ever printed. Emrakul follows at 15.
What does Black Lotus cost?
Zero mana. It taps to add three mana of any one color.
What is Lightning Bolt CMC?
1. One red mana for three damage.
Why no split cards?
Split halves combine into one total, so rows pin single-face printings.
Sources
- Gatherer official card database (Black Lotus 0, Ancestral Recall 1, Lightning Bolt 1, Swords to Plowshares 1, Dark Ritual 1, Giant Growth 1, Counterspell 2)
- Gatherer official card database (Wrath of God 4, Serra Angel 5, Shivan Dragon 6, Mahamoti Djinn 6, Force of Nature 8)
- Gatherer official card database (Progenitus 10, Kozilek Butcher of Truth 10, Blightsteel Colossus 12, Emrakul the Aeons Torn 15, Draco 16)
- Scryfall card pages with Gatherer rulings (cross-checks on converted costs)
Last verified: 2026-09-28 · 17 entries
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