Chilling Trap
Instant
Target creature gets -4/-0 until end of turn. If you control a Wizard, draw a card.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Jumpstart 2022
- Price
- $0.08
- EDHREC rank
- #14973
Chilling Trap bounces a creature and makes a copy of itself — the instant you cast it triggers Orvar, the All-Form, flooding the board with token copies before the original even resolves. The rate is two mana for meaningful board disruption plus an engine piece, which is well above the line for blue spell-slinger decks.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Orvar, the All-Form
Chilling Trap is a two-mana instant that targets a permanent you control, which is exactly what Orvar, the All-Form needs to generate a free token copy of any permanent on your board — the bounce effect on an opponent's creature is just a bonus on top of the engine trigger.
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, Chilling Trap earns its slot almost exclusively in Orvar, the All-Form decks, where cheap spells that target your own permanents are the entire engine — outside that shell it's too narrow to compete with counterspells or draw spells for the same mana. In Pauper it's a fringe option for blue tempo decks that want cheap interaction, though Snap and Vapor Snag typically do the bounce job better. Legacy, Vintage, and Modern have no real interest in it — the effect doesn't match the competition at any stage of those games. Pioneer blue decks might occasionally want a one-of bounce effect at instant speed, but Chilling Trap lacks the raw power to see serious play there.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.08 bulk tier
At $0.08, Chilling Trap sits firmly in bulk territory — it's a throw-in card at any dealer table. Bulk commons with narrow applications don't appreciate, so buy the copies you need and don't expect the price to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.