Cyclopean Snare
Artifact
, 
: Tap target creature, then return this artifact to its owner's hand.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Ravnica: City of Guilds
- Price
- $0.06
- EDHREC rank
- #29210
Cyclopean Snare taps a creature for three mana at instant speed — a rate so inefficient that nearly every other tap effect in the format costs less and does more. The equip cost of three, on top of three to activate, means you are spending six mana to stall one attacker or blocker, and that is not a trade worth making in any serious Commander game.
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 |
Cyclopean Snare is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but legality is not the same as playability. In Commander, where a single tap effect rarely swings a four-player game and six total mana is a ruinous tempo sink, Cyclopean Snare sits below the competitive floor. Legacy and Vintage have access to the most efficient interaction ever printed, so this effect never sees a deck there. Modern has enough cheap, permanent removal that paying three to temporarily neutralize a threat is simply not viable.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.06 bulk tier
At $0.06, Cyclopean Snare is deep bulk — the price reflects demand, which is essentially none. It will hold that floor indefinitely; there is no competitive context likely to drive this card's value upward.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.