Decree of Silence
Enchantment
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, counter that spell and put a depletion counter on this enchantment. If there are three or more depletion counters on this enchantment, sacrifice it.
Cycling 
(, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, you may counter target spell.
- CMC
- 8
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Scourge
- Price
- $35.43
- EDHREC rank
- #11151
Decree of Silence locks opponents out of casting spells entirely — every spell they resolve removes a counter, and when the last one goes, it self-destructs, so the lock only holds if you keep refilling those counters. Pairing it with Solemnity stops the counter drain permanently, and Gavi, Nest Warden can cycle into the combo while keeping your hand stocked, which is why this card sees heavy play in that specific shell.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Gavi, Nest Warden
Gavi, Nest Warden gives you a free cycle each turn, making it straightforward to dig for Solemnity and assemble the Decree of Silence lock without burning through resources — and once the lock is live, Gavi's cycling triggers keep firing while opponents sit frozen.
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 |
Decree of Silence is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, and Commander is where it actually sees play. Six mana is too expensive and too slow for Legacy and Vintage, where the game is often decided before you untap with a seven-mana enchantment. In Commander, the high cost is offset by the 99-card singleton format's natural card-selection tools and the political reality that locking out three opponents simultaneously is worth the investment. Oathbreaker can support it in dedicated Solemnity shells, but the 20-life clock makes the setup more fragile.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Render Silent and Disallow both counter spells at a fraction of the cost, but they're one-shot answers rather than a persistent lock. If the goal is a reusable counterspell effect on an enchantment, Overwhelming Denial and Scatter to the Winds get closer in spirit but still fall well short of what a resolved Decree of Silence with Solemnity actually does — no clean budget replacement exists for the permanent lock, which is precisely why the card commands its price.
Price Context
Current price
$35.43 premium tier
At $35.43, Decree of Silence sits firmly in the premium tier — a price driven by low reprint frequency and the uniqueness of its lock effect. It holds value because no other card replicates the Solemnity combo at this axis, keeping demand steady among control and prison brewers.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.