Cower in Fear
Instant
Creatures your opponents control get -1/-1 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Magic 2013
- Price
- $0.13
- EDHREC rank
- #14611
Cower in Fear hits the board immediately — all non-black creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn, which clears token armies and saves your blockers in a single three-mana instant. The cost is real: it's a one-shot effect with no lasting board presence, and Maha, Its Feathers Night players run it specifically because Maha's triggered ability turns that -1/-1 into raw damage output.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Maha, Its Feathers Night
Maha, Its Feathers Night drains opponents for each point of power their creatures lose, so Cower in Fear hitting a wide board can close out a game from nowhere — it's less a combat trick and more a finisher in that shell.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Cower in Fear occupies a narrow but real niche: token-heavy metas make -1/-1 to all non-black creatures genuinely punishing, and instant speed means it doubles as a combat trick. Outside of that pairing with black token synergies or Maha-style damage triggers, it competes hard against sweepers that actually kill things. In Pauper, where the card is legal and the format runs plenty of small creatures, it has more consistent targets but still loses to format staples with permanent effects. Legacy and Vintage are non-starters — the effect is too marginal at any price.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.13 bulk tier
Cower in Fear sits firmly in bulk at $0.13, and that price is stable — this is a niche role-player with no meaningful reprint demand or spike potential. Pick it up as a cheap one-of if the Maha build calls for it; there's no reason to stockpile.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.