Choking Vines
Instant
Cast this spell only during the declare blockers step.
X target attacking creatures become blocked. Choking Vines deals 1 damage to each of those creatures. (This spell works on creatures that can't be blocked.)
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Weatherlight
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #23677
Choking Vines stops one attacking creature cold and can neutralize its blocking permanently — at instant speed, for a single green mana with an optional kicker. The effect is narrow enough that most green decks have better options, and Choking Vines rarely makes the cut outside dedicated creature-lock strategies.
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 |
In Commander, Choking Vines is a tempo play that trades one-for-one with an attacker, which is rarely where you want a card slot in a 100-card format full of bigger threats. Legacy and Vintage can technically run it, but single-creature tap effects don't compete with the interaction density of those formats. Pauper is the most plausible home — budget green decks sometimes need cheap combat tricks — though even there, Choking Vines sits behind more versatile options like Aerial Volley or Moment's Peace.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Choking Vines is deep bulk — you're not paying for power, you're paying for the cardboard. That price is stable by default: there's no meaningful demand pushing it up, and no reprint risk pushing it down.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.