Concerted Defense
Instant
Counter target noncreature spell unless its controller pays 
plus an additional for each creature in your party. (Your party consists of up to one each of Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard.)
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Zendikar Rising
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #12566
Concerted Defense scales its counterspell power directly off your party count, hitting full Force of Will territory when you control a full four-creature party. The Destined Warrior decks run it at a 54% clip because their creature types load up the party mechanic naturally, making this a near-free piece of interaction rather than a tempo trade.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
The Destined Warrior
The Destined Warrior builds a party-themed board by design, so Concerted Defense routinely counters anything for a single blue mana — the engine doesn't need to work at all to make the counterspell good, and once it's humming, the card is functionally free interaction that protects the gameplan from disruption.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Concerted Defense earns its slot in any deck that reliably assembles two or more party members — anything less and you're paying one mana to counter only spells with mana value one or less, which is close to unplayable. Modern and Legacy have faster and more consistent counterspell suites, so Concerted Defense rarely competes there outside of dedicated tribal builds that already fill the party slots naturally. Pioneer offers slightly more room, but the format lacks the critical mass of party synergy payoffs to make slotting a conditional counterspell worth the deckbuilding cost. Concerted Defense is at its best in Commander, specifically in decks where the party is a feature, not an accident.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Concerted Defense is deep bulk — a trivial pickup that punches well above its price point in the right shell. Don't expect the price to move; it's a narrow card with a narrow home, and bulk is where it lives.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- The Destined Warrior
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.