Binding the Old Gods
Enchantment — Saga
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — Destroy target nonland permanent an opponent controls.
II — Search your library for a Forest card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
III — Creatures you control gain deathtouch until end of turn.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Bloomburrow Commander
- Price
- $0.25
- EDHREC rank
- #1296
Binding the Old Gods destroys a nonland permanent on chapter one, fetches a Forest on chapter two, and hands every creature you control deathtouch on chapter three — three meaningful effects stapled to a single enchantment. Narci, Fable Singer turns that saga into life-gain and card advantage on top of everything else, which is why the card's inclusion rate in that deck is nearly 90%.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Narci, Fable Singer
Narci, Fable Singer triggers off each chapter of Binding the Old Gods, converting the saga's three lore counters into life drain and card selection while the saga itself handles removal and ramp — it's one of the most efficient single cards the deck can run.
Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil's static ability puts a lore counter on Binding the Old Gods the moment it enters, effectively fast-forwarding through a chapter for free and making the saga's removal hit a turn earlier than opponents expect.
Anikthea, Hand of Erebos
Anikthea, Hand of Erebos can reanimate Binding the Old Gods as an enchantment creature token, letting the saga's enter-the-battlefield trigger fire again and generating repeated removal without ever casting the card a second time.
Winter, Cynical Opportunist
Winter, Cynical Opportunist cares about enchantments entering and dying, and Binding the Old Gods naturally exits the battlefield after chapter three — that self-sacrifice lines up cleanly with Winter's drain triggers.
Glissa Sunslayer
Glissa Sunslayer's first-strike and deathtouch package gets meaningfully better when Binding the Old Gods resolves chapter three, granting the whole board deathtouch and turning every attacker into a removal spell.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Binding the Old Gods belongs — the three-chapter payoff is too slow for any format that doesn't guarantee you four or five turns to develop. In Modern and Pioneer it's legal but essentially unplayed; a five-mana enchantment that takes multiple turns to finish its job can't compete with the format's threat density. Legacy and Vintage have even less patience for it. The card's home is in enchantress and saga strategies at the Commander table, where the cumulative value of removal, ramp, and a board-wide deathtouch grant can swing a game.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.25 bulk tier
At $0.25, Binding the Old Gods is deep bulk — you can pick up a copy in virtually any trade binder or budget box without thinking twice. For the effect it delivers across three chapters, it's one of the more underpriced role-players in Golgari enchantment builds.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.