Brainwash
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can't attack unless its controller pays 
.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Fifth Edition
- Price
- $0.16
- EDHREC rank
- #21983
Brainwash locks down one creature — its controller must pay 3 extra to attack with it — but a three-mana enchantment that doesn't remove the threat is rarely worth the slot. Pacifism effects that also stop blocking, or just straight removal, do this job better.
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 |
Brainwash is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but it sees virtually no play in any of them. In Commander, the effect is too narrow — one taxed attacker across a four-player table is noise, and white has access to Pacifism, Darksteel Mutation, and Generous Gift at the same or lower cost. Pauper is the only format where a budget enchantment-based prison shell could theoretically find use, but even there the tax is too easy to pay around. Brainwash is technically legal in a lot of places; it just isn't good enough to run in any of them.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.16 bulk tier
At $0.16, Brainwash sits firmly in bulk territory, and the price is accurate to its power level. It holds no meaningful value — bulk commons rarely appreciate — so there's no reason to acquire copies beyond completing a collection.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.