Enlightened Ascetic
Creature — Cat Monk
When this creature enters, you may destroy target enchantment.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.23
- EDHREC rank
- #12695
Enlightened Ascetic enters, destroys an enchantment, and leaves the battlefield clean — no activation, no mana sink, just immediate value stapled to a Cat body. In Arahbo, the First Fang lists that want every creature to pull double duty, that combination of tribe and effect is exactly the rate they're paying for.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Arahbo, the First Fang
Arahbo, the First Fang wants every Cat to matter beyond just attacking, and Enlightened Ascetic delivers enchantment removal on a creature that triggers the commander's own power-doubling abilities — so the body earns its slot twice.
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah builds on a Cat-heavy creature base, and Enlightened Ascetic fills the enchantment-hate slot without spending a non-creature spell slot, keeping the creature density that Ajani's token and pump lines demand.
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 |
Enlightened Ascetic is a reasonable role-player in Commander, where enchantments like Rhystic Study and Smothering Tithe are everywhere and a Cat body has real tribal upside in the right list. Outside Commander, it rarely competes — Pauper has more efficient options for enchantment removal that don't need a creature body attached, and in Modern or Legacy the effect simply isn't close to good enough for the formats' speed. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander logic in miniature: if your planeswalker cares about Cats or creatures entering, Enlightened Ascetic pulls its weight; otherwise, there's a better spell for the slot.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.23 bulk tier
At $0.23, Enlightened Ascetic is bulk — buy a playset without thinking about it. Demand is narrow enough that the price won't move meaningfully unless a Cat-tribal precon pushes it into wider circulation.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Arahbo, the First Fang
- Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.