Backslide
Instant
Turn target creature with a morph ability face down.
Cycling 
(, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Onslaught
- Price
- $0.14
- EDHREC rank
- #21953
Backslide turns any face-up morph creature face-down for a single blue mana at instant speed — resetting ETB triggers, hiding a threat, or protecting a creature from targeted removal by changing its identity mid-stack. Outside of dedicated morph builds helmed by something like Ixidor, Reality Sculptor, the payoff rarely justifies the slot.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Backslide is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but sees meaningful play in almost none of them. In Commander it has a narrow home in morph-focused decks where re-triggering face-down ETBs or blanking auras and equipment matters; everywhere else the effect is too situational to compete for a slot. Pauper is its most plausible fringe home given the format's low power ceiling, but morph creatures are scarce and underpowered there. Legacy and Vintage have access to Backslide but no reason to run it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Ixidor, Reality SculptorBrine ElementalIsochron ScepterBackslide
Opponents skip their untap steps; Lock
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.14 bulk tier
At $0.14, Backslide is deep bulk — easy to acquire as a throw-in or from a bulk bin. That price reflects real demand: this is a build-around piece for a narrow archetype, not a card that's likely to spike.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Ixidor, Reality Sculptor
- Brine Elemental
- Isochron Scepter
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.