Escape from Orthanc
Instant
Target creature gets +1/+3 and gains flying until end of turn. Untap it.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
- Price
- $0.16
- EDHREC rank
- #14422
Escape from Orthanc bounces a nonland permanent and replaces itself with a Hobbit creature token — two effects on one card at instant speed. At three mana it's not cheap, but Frodo, Sauron's Bane decks run it specifically because the token feeds the Temptation of Sauron track while the bounce buys a tempo window.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Frodo, Sauron's Bane
Frodo, Sauron's Bane wants a steady stream of Hobbits to tick up the corruption track, and Escape from Orthanc delivers one on the spot while also bouncing a blocker or problematic permanent that would otherwise stall the gameplan.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Escape from Orthanc is a Commander card through and through — the Hobbit token has narrative payoffs in Lord of the Rings-themed builds that simply don't exist in other formats. In Legacy, Vintage, and Pauper it's technically legal but competes with far more efficient tempo plays and will never see a sleeve outside of a theme deck. Commander is where the token generation matters and the bounce is relevant enough to justify the slot, particularly in Hobbit-tribal or Ring-temptation builds that want every creature-producing instant they can find.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.16 bulk tier
At $0.16, Escape from Orthanc sits firmly in bulk territory — you're not paying for scarcity, you're paying for cardboard. Bulk commons and uncommons from heavily opened sets rarely climb without a competitive breakout, and this card has no competitive homes, so don't expect movement.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.