Peer into the Abyss
Peer into the Abyss: Sorcery, Core Set 2021. MTG card details, printings, market prices, official rulings, and format legality, all in one place on Mana Grove.
- Mana cost
- {4}{B}{B}{B}
- Mana value
- 7
- Type
- Sorcery
- Colour identity
- Black (B)
- Rarity
- Rare
- Set
- Core Set 2021 (M21)
- Released
- 2020-07-03
- Collector number
- 117
- Artist
- Izzy
- Commander rank
- 1,266 (by how often it appears in Commander decks)
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About Peer into the Abyss
Peer into the Abyss is a Magic: The Gathering card, a rare black sorcery from Core Set 2021 (M21), a core set released in July 2020. It is collector number 117 in that set, with art by Izzy. It costs {4}{B}{B}{B} (four generic and three black mana) to cast, for a mana value of 7. Its colour identity is black. It is legal in Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander, Oathbreaker, Brawl, Historic, Timeless, Gladiator and Penny Dreadful. It has been printed in 5 sets, from Core Set 2021 (2020) to The List (2020). The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $3.45 (normal finish, as of 2026-11-02).
Card text
Target player draws cards equal to half the number of cards in their library and loses half their life. Round up each time.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic. When your eyes bleed, and your brain leaks out your ears, then we'll talk about lost sanity." -Braids, dementia summoner
Market price
Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $3.45 (as of 2026-11-02).
The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.
Format legality
Legality of Peer into the Abyss by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.
| Pioneer | Legal |
|---|---|
| Modern | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Penny Dreadful | Legal |
Other printings of Peer into the Abyss
Peer into the Abyss has been printed in 5 sets. The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.
| Printing | Rarity | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Secret Lair Drop (SLD) #2002 | Rare | 2025 |
| Secret Lair Drop (SLD) #2021 | Rare | 2025 |
| The List (PLST) #M21-117 | Rare | 2024 |
| Magic Online Promos (PRM) #81962 | Rare | 2020 |
| Core Set 2021 (M21) #360 | Rare | 2020 |
| Core Set 2021 Promos (PM21) #117p | Rare | 2020 |
| Core Set 2021 Promos (PM21) #117s | Rare | 2020 |
Official rulings
Two official rulings apply to Peer into the Abyss, newest first.
- The life lost is rounded up, not the remaining life total. For example, if the target player has 7 life, they lose 4 life and end up with 3. Similarly, the number of cards drawn is rounded up, not the number of cards remaining in the library.
- To draw the cards, first the player determines how many cards to draw, then draws them. This event may be modified so that a different number of cards are actually drawn.
Similar cards
Other sorcery cards with a black colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.