Drain Life
~$0.16 low · ~$65.20 high
Black. Sorcery
Fifth Edition #156 · Illustrated by Andrew Robinson
Fifth Edition #156 · Illustrated by Andrew RobinsonWhat is Drain Life worth?
2 printings have no TCGplayer price.
TCGplayer, eBay and Amazon links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you buy.
TCGplayer market prices in USD, updated October 14, 2026. Each price is for one printing and one finish.
Oracle text
Spend only black mana on X.
Drain Life deals X damage to any target. You gain life equal to the damage dealt, but not more life than the player's life total before the damage was dealt, the planeswalker's loyalty before the damage was dealt, or the creature's toughness.
Format legality
All 16 printings of Drain Life
| Printing | Rarity | Non-foil | Foil | Cardmarket (EUR) | My collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 30th Anniversary Edition 30a #102· 2022Not tournament legalcommon· Cardmarket €0.10 | common | $1.20 | No foil printing | €0.10 | |
 30th Anniversary Edition 30a #399· 2022Not tournament legalRetro Framecommon· Cardmarket €38.90 | common | — | No foil printing | €38.90 | |
 Friday Night Magic 2002 f02 #7· 2002Promorare· Cardmarket €11.51 foil | rare | No non-foil printing | $16.38 | €11.51 foil | |
 Beatdown Box Set btd #24· 2000common· Cardmarket €0.78 | common | $1.12 | No foil printing | €0.78 | |
 Fifth Edition 5ed #156· 1997common· Cardmarket €0.18 | common | $0.37 | No foil printing | €0.18 | |
 Mirage mir #118· 1996common· Cardmarket €0.28 | common | $0.34 | No foil printing | €0.28 | |
No image yet Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border 4bb #132· 1995Spanishcommon· Cardmarket €0.85 | common | $5.99 | No foil printing | €0.85 | |
 Fourth Edition 4ed #132· 1995common· Cardmarket €0.17 | common | $0.16 | No foil printing | €0.17 | |
 Summer Magic / Edgar sum #106· 1994common· Cardmarket €401.63 | common | — | No foil printing | €401.63 | |
 Revised Edition 3ed #106· 1994common· Cardmarket €0.31 | common | $0.25 | No foil printing | €0.31 | |
 Foreign Black Border fbb #106· 1994Frenchcommon· Cardmarket €0.43 | common | $4.99 | No foil printing | €0.43 | |
 Collectors' Edition ced #106· 1993Not tournament legalcommon· Cardmarket €2.82 | common | $5.00 | No foil printing | €2.82 | |
 Intl. Collectors' Edition cei #106· 1993Not tournament legalcommon· Cardmarket €2.30 | common | $7.84 | No foil printing | €2.30 | |
 Unlimited Edition 2ed #106· 1993common· Cardmarket €1.98 | common | $1.16 | No foil printing | €1.98 | |
 Limited Edition Beta leb #106· 1993common· Cardmarket €20.02 | common | $26.66 | No foil printing | €20.02 | |
 Limited Edition Alpha lea #105· 1993common· Cardmarket €68.93 | common | $65.20 | No foil printing | €68.93 |
Prices are TCGplayer market prices in USD for each printing and finish, via Scryfall. They are a guide, not an appraisal.
Where to buy Drain Life
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. We also take part in the TCGplayer (via Impact) and eBay Partner Network affiliate programs. Links to TCGplayer, eBay and Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Cardmarket links are not affiliate links.
Card details
- First printed
- 1993
- Printings
- 16
- Mana value
- 2
- EDHREC rank
- #15,883 on EDHREC (Commander popularity)
- Artists
- Douglas Shuler, Andrew Robinson, Richard Kane Ferguson
What the codes mean
The small print at the bottom of the Fifth Edition card (#156).
Printed before collector numbers, which started with Exodus in 1998. The bottom shows only the artist credit ("Illus.") and the copyright. Set symbols were all black before Exodus, and core sets before Sixth Edition have none.
How to read a Magic card: every part and code, on real cards.
Card breakdown
The parts of Drain Life, read from the Fifth Edition printing. How to read any Magic card.
- Name
- Drain Life. Rules use the English name in every language.
- Mana cost
- Mana value 2: the total mana in the cost, colors ignored.
- Type line
- Sorcery is the card type.
- Text box
- What the card does.
- Illustration
- By Andrew Robinson. The art has no effect on the game.
- Set symbol
- Fifth Edition has no set symbol: core sets before Sixth Edition had none.
- Artist
- Andrew Robinson, after "Illus.".
- Copyright
- Wizards of the Coast's copyright notice, with the year.
Rulings (2)
2004-10-04
Cost reducers can be used to reduce the X part of the mana cost.
2004-10-04
You may gain up to the total toughness of the creature even if it was already damaged.
Browse more: Fifth Edition · all sets · search cards