Awaken the Bear
Instant
Target creature gets +3/+3 and gains trample until end of turn.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Jumpstart: Historic Horizons
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #15704
Awaken the Bear pumps a creature +3/+3 and grants it trample until end of turn for two mana — clean combat trick, nothing exotic. Outside of Ayula, Queen Among Bears decks where the bear tribal tag does real work, it's a one-shot effect fighting for a slot against permanent buffs and better instant-speed interaction.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ayula, Queen Among Bears
Awaken the Bear earns its slot in Ayula, Queen Among Bears because every bear you target with it is a trigger waiting to happen — pump a bear into a fight, activate Ayula's ability, and the trample makes sure the damage gets through cleanly.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Awaken the Bear is a fringe inclusion — legal everywhere it needs to be, but narrow enough that only bear tribal shells helmed by Ayula, Queen Among Bears consistently want it. Pauper is its most competitive home: at common, a two-mana instant that ends a combat decisively has real applications in aggressive green decks. In Modern, Pioneer, and Legacy, Awaken the Bear doesn't clear the bar — those formats have access to Blossoming Defense and Scale Up, which outclass it on rate or utility.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Awaken the Bear isn't available in the current index, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the current market rate. As a common with narrow appeal outside bear tribal, it almost certainly sits at bulk — pick up a copy without thinking twice if you're building Ayula.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.