Dispel
Instant
Counter target instant spell.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Battle for Zendikar
- Price
- $0.36
- EDHREC rank
- #853
Dispel counters any instant for a single blue mana — a rate that makes it one of the most efficient interaction pieces in spell-heavy metas. Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator decks run it to protect their combat triggers from removal and counterspells at the lowest possible cost.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator combo lines live and die on combat steps resolving cleanly, and Dispel is the cheapest way to stop a removal spell or opposing counterspell from ending the turn before treasures hit. Nearly half of all Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator decks run it for exactly that reason.
Francisco, Fowl Marauder // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Francisco, Fowl Marauder // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator shares the same combat-trigger engine as its Malcolm partner pairings, so Dispel fills the same role: one mana to keep a key spell from being answered on the stack. About 39% of these decks include it.
Baral, Chief of Compliance
Baral, Chief of Compliance reduces Dispel to free on the right turn, and the looting trigger on a countered spell turns every protected interaction piece into card selection. It's a natural fit in a deck that wants to chain cheap spells and keep its pilot protected.
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy combo lines often go off through a single blue mana window, and Dispel covers the instant-speed interaction that could stop a winning turn — it shows up in 30% of Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy decks as low-cost insurance.
Talion, the Kindly Lord
Talion, the Kindly Lord typically names a low number to maximize damage triggers, and Dispel at one mana either draws a card off the trigger or slips under the chosen number entirely — either way, it costs the deck almost nothing to include.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Dispel is a role-player rather than a staple: strong in spell-heavy or combo-protective builds, marginal in creature-focused or battlecruiser metas where the relevant threats are permanents. Pauper is where Dispel has historically shown the most raw power — cheap instant interaction is at a premium in that format and the card sees consistent play. In Legacy and Vintage it's outclassed by Force of Will and Flusterstorm in most configurations, but sideboard copies appear when the expected field is dense with cantrips and storm lines. Modern and Pioneer treat it similarly: playable in sideboards against combo and control but rarely a main-deck inclusion when broader counterspells are available. Dispel's narrow target — instants only — is the constant constraint across every format.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.36 bulk tier
At $0.36, Dispel sits firmly in bulk territory and there's no pressure to buy now or pay more. Bulk interaction reprints tend to stay cheap indefinitely, so pick up copies whenever you need them without any urgency.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
- Francisco, Fowl Marauder // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
- Baral, Chief of Compliance
- Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
- Talion, the Kindly Lord
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.