Demotion
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can't block, and its activated abilities can't be activated.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Guilds of Ravnica
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #15048
Demotion strips a creature of its abilities and removes its ability to block for one white mana — that's a lot of suppression at a very low cost. It's a fine tempo piece in formats where cheap enchantment-based removal is scarce, but it leaves the creature alive, which is the dealbreaker in most competitive contexts.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Demotion occupies the awkward middle ground between removal and control — it neutralizes a threat without eliminating it, which rarely meets the bar in a four-player game where board states escalate fast. Modern and Pioneer have access to Oblivion Ring effects and hard removal at the same cost, making Demotion a fringe option at best in those formats. Legacy and Vintage barely register it; the card simply doesn't do enough to compete at that power level. Oathbreaker is the most charitable home, where neutering a key blocker can matter more in the tighter two-player dynamic.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Demotion is deep bulk — you're paying almost nothing for what it does, which is appropriate. Don't expect the price to move; this is a card you grab from a commons box, not one you track.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.