Defy Gravity
Instant
Target creature gains flying until end of turn.
Flashback 
(You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Ultimate Masters
- Price
- $0.12
- EDHREC rank
- #12544
Defy Gravity gives a creature flying until end of turn and replaces itself if you control an Island — one blue mana for evasion plus a free card is the whole pitch. In decks built around Neerdiv, Devious Diver, that combination of cheap cantrip and instant-speed flying is exactly the kind of spell count padding the strategy wants.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Neerdiv, Devious Diver
Neerdiv, Devious Diver cares about casting cheap instant and sorcery spells to trigger its diving mechanic, and Defy Gravity slots in as a one-mana cantrip that also grants evasion — the Island clause is almost always live in a mono-blue or Dimir shell, so you get the spell trigger and a free card in one.
Octavia, Living Thesis
Octavia, Living Thesis turns creatures into 8/8s whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, and Defy Gravity is one of the cheapest ways to trigger that pump while simultaneously clearing a path through the air for an alpha strike.
Muddle, the Ever-Changing
Muddle, the Ever-Changing generates value from cheap blue spells, and Defy Gravity's cantrip mode means it rarely costs you a card — it's free storm-count fuel that keeps your hand healthy while you assemble the engine.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Defy Gravity is a niche card in most formats, but it earns its slot in specific Commander decks built around cheap-spell payoffs like Neerdiv, Devious Diver or Octavia, Living Thesis — the Island cantrip clause makes it card-neutral in any blue shell, which is the minimum bar for a narrow effect. In Pauper, the card is legal but sees virtually no play; the evasion effect is too situational for a format with better cantrips available. Legacy and Vintage access is irrelevant in practice — no competitive archetype wants a conditional flying spell at any price. Commander is where Defy Gravity actually belongs, strictly inside decks that reward spell density.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.12 bulk tier
At $0.12, Defy Gravity is deep bulk — grab a copy out of any common box without a second thought. Bulk cantrips with narrow applications don't appreciate, so there's no reason to stock up beyond a copy or two for active decks.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.