Dance of Shadows
Sorcery — Arcane
Creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain fear until end of turn. (They can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.)
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Champions of Kamigawa
- Price
- $0.09
- EDHREC rank
- #24997
Dance of Shadows gives your entire attacking force fear and +1/+0 for five mana — on the same turn you swing, every creature in your squad becomes unblockable against the two most common creature types in Commander. The cost is real: five mana sorcery-speed for an effect that lasts one turn means you're all-in on that attack, and if something goes wrong before combat, you've done nothing.
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 |
Commander is where Dance of Shadows actually sees play — five mana is sustainable in a 100-card singleton format, and fear is broadly relevant in pods where black and artifact creatures are uncommon. In Legacy and Vintage, five mana at sorcery speed for a one-turn combat trick is not competitive; those formats end games before you can untap with this effect. Modern is technically legal but functionally the same story — faster decks don't need it, and creature decks that could use evasion find better options. Dance of Shadows is a Commander card, full stop.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.09 bulk tier
At $0.09, Dance of Shadows is deep bulk — trivial to acquire and essentially free to slot into any black aggro or token list. Bulk rares at this price point don't appreciate unless a deck or combo pushes demand, and nothing on the horizon makes that likely here.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.