Arbalest Elite
Creature — Human Archer
, 
: This creature deals 3 damage to target attacking or blocking creature. This creature doesn't untap during your next untap step.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Magic 2012
- Price
- $0.06
- EDHREC rank
- #23818
Arbalest Elite deals 4 damage to a creature or planeswalker whenever it attacks — relevant reach for a 3/3 body — but tapping to activate that ability means it never connects with the player and costs you a second white mana each swing. The equip-style cost and mandatory tap make it too slow and resource-hungry to justify the slot in any serious deck.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Arbalest Elite is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but seeing competitive play in none of them. In Commander, a 3/3 for four mana that requires an additional white and a tap every attack just to ping a creature is outclassed by nearly every other white removal option at the same price point. Legacy, Modern, and Vintage all operate at a speed where a four-mana creature that conditionally pings on attack is nowhere close to the power threshold. Arbalest Elite is essentially a Limited card that never found a Constructed home.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.06 bulk tier
At $0.06, Arbalest Elite is deep bulk — you'll find it in a commons box, not a trade binder. There's no demand pressure to push this above its floor, so the price is stable only in the sense that it can't really go lower.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.