Chains of Mephistopheles
Enchantment
If a player would draw a card except the first one they draw in each of their draw steps, that player discards a card instead. If the player discards a card this way, they draw a card. If the player doesn't discard a card this way, they mill a card.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Magic Online Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #11059
Chains of Mephistopheles shuts down card draw for every player who doesn't discard first, turning incremental advantage into a resource death spiral against anyone relying on cantrips or value engines. The cost is real — it punishes your own draw steps too, so you either build around it (discard synergies, The Gitrog Monster, Madness payoffs) or you're hurting yourself as much as your opponents.
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 |
In Commander, Chains of Mephistopheles is a political weapon and a prison piece simultaneously — at a four-player table, it taxes three opponents on every draw trigger while rewarding the pilot who built to discard profitably. Legacy is where it has historically shown up as a sideboard hammer against blue cantrip-heavy decks, punishing Brainstorm and Ponder users who can't discard to replace draws. Vintage allows it but the format moves fast enough that resolving a two-mana enchantment against free counterspells is inconsistent. Chains of Mephistopheles is not legal in Modern, Pioneer, Standard, or Pauper, so its competitive footprint is entirely confined to eternal formats and Commander.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
The Gitrog MonsterDakmor SalvageChains of Mephistopheles
Infinite self-mill; Near-infinite self-discard triggers
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Chains of MephistophelesBone MiserLife from the Loam
Infinite self-mill
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Chains of Mephistopheles is one of the most notoriously expensive cards in the game — original printings are four-figure territory, and even reprints carry a significant premium due to collector demand and the card's unique, complex text. Current market pricing isn't pinned here, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live number before buying, but budget accordingly: this is not an impulse purchase.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.