Controvert
Instant
Counter target spell.
Recover 
(When a creature is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, you may pay . If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Otherwise, exile this card.)
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Coldsnap
- Price
- $0.23
- EDHREC rank
- #25311
Controvert counters a spell and returns two lands to your hand — a two-for-one disruption package that also smooths your mana base. The six-mana cost keeps it out of most competitive lists, but in slower Commander games where untapping matters more than efficiency, it earns its slot.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Controvert is a Commander card through and through — the format's slower pace and four-player politics make the land-bounce upside genuinely relevant, letting you replay landfall triggers or fix colors mid-game. In Legacy and Vintage, six mana for a counterspell is a non-starter when Force of Will and Counterspell exist, so Controvert never sees those tables. Modern is theoretically legal but practically the same story: the format is too fast for this cost. Controvert finds its best home in Commander shells that want to double up on landfall or land-synergy payoffs, where the tempo loss of bouncing your own lands is actually a feature.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.23 bulk tier
At $0.23, Controvert is deep bulk — you're paying for a niche role-player, not a staple. The price is stable and unlikely to move; it doesn't have the cross-format demand that drives bulk rares upward.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.