Eidolon of Obstruction
Enchantment Creature — Spirit
First strike
Loyalty abilities of planeswalkers your opponents control cost more to activate.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Theros Beyond Death
- Price
- $0.40
- EDHREC rank
- #20016
Eidolon of Obstruction puts a 1-loyalty tax on every activated loyalty ability opponents use, which translates directly to planeswalkers needing an extra turn to reach their most dangerous abilities. A 2/1 first striker for two mana that taxes an entire permanent type is an efficient rate — this is a role-player in white stax builds, not a side-grade to nothing.
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, Eidolon of Obstruction punishes tables running planeswalker-heavy strategies, and in four-player games the cumulative tax across multiple opponents adds up fast — it earns its slot in white stax or hate-bear shells built around Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or similar taxing commanders. In Modern and Pioneer, it sees fringe sideboard play against planeswalker-dense midrange decks where slowing down Teferi or Liliana by a turn can matter, though dedicated removal usually answers the Eidolon before it accumulates value. Legacy and Vintage have enough fast mana and cantrips to make a 2/1 body feel fragile, so it rarely sees maindeck play there. Oathbreaker is where Eidolon of Obstruction arguably has the highest ceiling — since the signature spell and oathbreaker both use loyalty-style activations, the tax hits the core engine of the format directly.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.40 bulk tier
At $0.40, Eidolon of Obstruction is firmly bulk, and that price reflects its narrow but real demand as a hate piece rather than a format staple. It's unlikely to spike without a planeswalker-heavy metagame surge, but at this price there's no reason to hesitate on copies for stax lists.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.