Calculated Dismissal
Instant
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 
.
Spell mastery — If there are two or more instant and/or sorcery cards in your graveyard, scry 2. (To scry 2, look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom and the rest on top in any order.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #15937
Calculated Dismissal counters a spell and replaces itself through the Spell Mastery scry 2 — serviceable, but three mana for a conditional counterspell with a minor upside is a slot most blue decks can fill more efficiently. It's fine in budget builds or Pauper, and a cut candidate everywhere else.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Calculated Dismissal competes against a deep bench of three-mana counterspells, and the scry 2 rider doesn't push it above the cut line for most lists — Spell Mastery is easy enough to meet by mid-game, but by then you want hard interaction, not card selection. In Pauper, the commons pool is shallow enough that it earns a real look, especially in control shells where scry 2 meaningfully smooths draws. Legacy and Vintage ignore it entirely — the cost is disqualifying in those formats. Pioneer and Modern have enough two-mana options that Calculated Dismissal never gets off the bench competitively.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
At $0.20, Calculated Dismissal sits firmly in bulk territory, and nothing about its demand trajectory suggests that changes. Pick it up freely if a budget build calls for it — there's no reason to spend more.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.