Brush Off
Instant
This spell costs less to cast if it targets an instant or sorcery spell.
Counter target spell.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Secrets of Strixhaven
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #18435
Brush Off bounces a creature and replaces itself — the cantrip is the reason to run it, turning a tempo play into card parity. Three mana for a bounce spell is overcosted unless you're getting something back, and Baral, Chief of Compliance makes that math work by discounting it to two and looting on resolution.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy

Baral, Chief of Compliance
Baral, Chief of Compliance reduces Brush Off to two mana and triggers his loot effect on resolution, turning a marginal bounce spell into cheap card filtering that also answers a threat.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Brush Off sits at the bottom of the bounce-spell pecking order — Cyclonic Rift, Winds of Rebuke, and even Void Snare all have better cases in most shells. The cantrip keeps it from being a pure liability, and in dedicated spellslinger or spell-count decks it earns its slot by contributing to storm count or prowess triggers. Outside Commander, constructed formats have access to far more efficient interaction, so Brush Off sees essentially no competitive play in Legacy, Modern, or Pioneer despite being legal in all of them. Standard is the only context where a cantripping bounce at three mana could plausibly make a limited sideboard, and even there it's a stretch.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Brush Off is deep bulk — buy it without thinking if the deck wants it. Price stability is a non-issue; bulk commons like this don't move.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.