Court of Locthwain
Enchantment
When this enchantment enters, you become the monarch.
At the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top card of target opponent's library. You may play that card for as long as it remains exiled, and mana of any type can be spent to cast it. If you're the monarch, until end of turn, you may cast a spell from among cards exiled with this enchantment without paying its mana cost.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Wilds of Eldraine Commander
- Price
- $7.00
- EDHREC rank
- #3162
Court of Locthwain gives black decks a repeatable way to cast spells from opponents' libraries — raw card advantage stapled to a monarch payoff that scales with how long you hold the crown. The cost is real: losing the monarch means losing the engine, so it rewards decks built to stay ahead on board rather than catch up.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Obeka, Splitter of Seconds
Obeka, Splitter of Seconds skips end steps, which means the end-step trigger on Court of Locthwain fires repeatedly in the same turn cycle — every extra end step is another free cast off an opponent's library. Over 61% of Obeka decks run it, and that inclusion rate reflects how cleanly the two cards form an engine.
Gonti, Night Minister
Gonti, Night Minister's whole identity is casting spells from opponents' libraries, and Court of Locthwain adds a second engine running that same axis every end step. The monarch pressure also plays well with Gonti's tendency to generate value through attrition rather than a single explosive turn.
Don Andres, the Renegade
Don Andres, the Renegade cares about casting spells you don't own, and Court of Locthwain supplies a steady stream of them off the top of opponents' decks. The monarch subgame fits naturally into a deck that's already planning to interact with what opponents have built.
Tasha, the Witch Queen
Tasha, the Witch Queen creates Demon tokens whenever an opponent's instant or sorcery is cast, and Court of Locthwain hands you a free roll on opponents' instant and sorcery suites every end step. The overlap is direct: more casts off opponents' libraries means more Demons.
Gonti, Canny Acquisitor
Gonti, Canny Acquisitor triggers whenever you cast a spell you don't own, and Court of Locthwain converts the monarch into a reliable trigger source turn after turn. At 30% inclusion across over 11,000 decks, it's a staple rather than a fringe inclusion.
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 |
Court of Locthwain is where it matters most in Commander, where the monarch mechanic is fully supported and opponents' 99-card libraries give the end-step cast real variance and power. The card is legal in Legacy and Vintage but sees no meaningful play there — sorcery-speed enchantments that require holding the monarch have no competitive home in those formats. Oathbreaker is a reasonable secondary home, particularly in black shells that want sustained value from a single permanent. Outside of those formats, it's a nonissue.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Thief of Sanity and Gonti, Lord of Luxury both offer one-shot versions of what Court of Locthwain does repeatedly — you get a look at an opponent's library and a free cast, but without the ongoing monarchy engine. If the monarch upkeep feels like a liability in your meta, Chaos Wand fills a similar role for under a dollar, though it's slower and doesn't scale the same way Court of Locthwain does when you hold the crown.
Price Context
Current price
$7.00 mid tier
At $7.00, Court of Locthwain sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate include, cheap enough that it doesn't define a budget. It's a strong rate for a repeatable card-advantage engine in black, and the price reflects genuine demand from multiple commander archetypes rather than casual hype.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Obeka, Splitter of Seconds
- Gonti, Night Minister
- Don Andres, the Renegade
- Tasha, the Witch Queen
- Gonti, Canny Acquisitor
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.