Price of Progress
Mana cost {1}{R}.
Price of Progress deals damage to each player equal to twice the number of nonbasic lands that player controls.
Price of Progress is a red card, legal in Premodern, shown in its old-frame Exodus printing.
Price and printings: Cardmarket (€6.82) · TCGplayer ($9.14) · Scryfall
Tracked daily since 28 July 2026: on Cardmarket between €6.43 and €7.62 in that time.
How often Price of Progress is played
Price of Progress is maindecked in 2 of 131 tournament decks in this archive (2%), averaging 2.0 copies; kept in 4 sideboards (3%); used by 1 of 33 tracked archetypes.
Counting only the 66 decks that can cast red cards, 5 of them play it (8%).
See how it compares on the Premodern staples list.
Premodern archetypes that play Price of Progress
- Sligh: Two mana: each player takes 2 damage for each nonbasic land they control. Against Full English Breakfast (22 nonbasic lands), MUD (21) or Terrageddon (21) it is a finisher, and your own uncracked fetchlands, Barbarian Ring, Mishra's Factory and Wasteland count too. It is in about a third of main decks and in most sideboards.
Sideboard plans with Price of Progress
- Sligh vs. UG Madness, Replenish, Gro-a-Tog and Aluren. Against Gro-a-Tog also Price of Progress for Reckless Abandon.
- Sligh vs. The Solution, Dromar Control and Tron. Against Dromar Control also Price of Progress for a Jackal Pup. Against Tron also Price of Progress and Flaring Pain for two Jackal Pup, since Wrath of God and Swords to Plowshares wait for your creatures.
- Sligh vs. Deadguy Ale, BW Control and Rebels. Against BW Control, in: the same two cards and Price of Progress; out: both Goblin Patrol and Reckless Abandon. Anarchy destroys Circle of Protection: Red, Warmth and Exalted Angel, Flaring Pain gets damage through the Circle for a turn, and Price of Progress punishes BW Control's Caves of Koilos, Dust Bowl and cycling lands.
- Sligh vs. Mono Black, Pit Rack and The Rock. Against The Rock, in: the third Cursed Scroll and Price of Progress; out: both Goblin Patrol. Price of Progress punishes Treetop Village, Llanowar Wastes and Dust Bowl, and Sulfuric Vortex stays for Ravenous Baloth.
- Sligh vs. Reanimator and Full English Breakfast. Against Full English Breakfast, in: both Lava Dart and Price of Progress; out: the same three cards. Lava Dart kills Hermit Druid and Birds of Paradise, and Price of Progress punishes 22 nonbasic lands.
- Sligh vs. Oath of Druids, Terrageddon, MUD and Fluctuator. Against Oath of Druids, Terrageddon and Fluctuator, in: two Overload and Price of Progress; out: both Goblin Patrol and Reckless Abandon. Overload destroys Mox Diamond, Sphere of Resistance, Cursed Totem, Zuran Orb and Fluctuator, Price of Progress punishes 21 to 25 nonbasic lands, and against Oath two fewer creatures make it easier to keep their Oath from triggering. Against MUD, in: all three Overload, Mogg Salvage and Price of Progress; out: all four Ball Lightning and Reckless Abandon, since Ensnaring Bridge stops Ball Lightning. Crack your own fetchlands before you cast Price of Progress.
- Sligh vs. Contamination and Turbo Lands. Against Turbo Lands, in: Flaring Pain and Price of Progress; out: both Goblin Patrol, which die to Seismic Assault. Flaring Pain stops Glacial Chasm and Circle of Protection: Red from preventing damage for a turn, and Price of Progress punishes almost all of their lands.
- Sligh vs. The Black Vise build. Nick Moran's 15 from the BCDL Open 5: four Pyroblast, four Overload, three Earthquake, two Price of Progress and two Anarchy. Against Landstill also both Anarchy for two Mogg Fanatic, against The Solution both Anarchy for both Price of Progress, and against Stasis two Overload for Black Vise and Cursed Totem, with both Cursed Scroll going out, since paying {3} each turn is hard under the lock. Against Stiflenought, in: all four Pyroblast and all four Overload; out: all four Seal of Fire, both Price of Progress, which does nothing against Islands, and both Cursed Scroll. Against Oath of Druids, Terrageddon and Fluctuator, in: two Overload and both Price of Progress; out: two Black Vise and two Seal of Fire.
Tournament decks with Price of Progress
- Burn: 3rd Place at Bolt the Bird (2× mainboard)
- Goblins: 3rd Place at Midwest Championship Open (2× sideboard)
- Sligh: 1st Place at BCDL Open 5 @ The Warp Gate (4× main + sideboard)
- Turbo Rofellos: 1st Place at Premodern Galicia (2× sideboard)
- Mono Red Burn: 1st Place at The Old Skull La Plata (3× sideboard)
