Binding Grasp
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this Aura unless you pay 
.
You control enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature gets +0/+1.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Coldsnap Theme Decks
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #26513
Binding Grasp steals a creature and keeps it as long as you pay one blue mana each upkeep — powerful effect, real ongoing tax. Four mana to cast plus a recurring cost makes it strictly a control or blue-value shell card, not a tempo play.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Binding Grasp is a Commander card through and through — four mana to take a creature is acceptable in a 40-life multiplayer game where you have turns to recoup the upkeep cost, and stealing the most dangerous threat on a crowded board can swing a game single-handedly. In Legacy and Vintage it's a non-starter: four mana enchantments with recurring costs can't compete with the format's speed, and Control Magic variants that cost less exist. Oathbreaker is the one other format where it sees any real consideration, again only in slower, more controlling builds where the upkeep is manageable.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
At $0.20, Binding Grasp is deep bulk — the kind of card you pick out of a commons box without thinking twice. That price is stable because demand is low and supply is plentiful; don't expect movement in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.