Fraying Line
Artifact
When this artifact enters, put a rope counter on target creature you control.
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player may pay 
. If they do, they put a rope counter on a creature they control. Otherwise, exile this artifact and each creature without a rope counter on it, then remove all rope counters from all creatures.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate
- Price
- $0.29
- EDHREC rank
- #13144
Fraying Line ends the game from nowhere — each upkeep, every opponent loses life equal to the number of permanents they control above you, with no mana investment after the initial cast. It costs five mana to deploy, which is steep, but the effect is symmetrical in the right direction: flood the board and the clock ticks fast for everyone else.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Fraying Line does its best work — four opponents means four separate life-loss triggers every turn cycle, and wide token strategies or stax builds that suppress opponents' board development will punish anyone who overextends. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but essentially invisible; the formats move too fast for a five-mana enchantment with a slow attrition payoff to matter. Oathbreaker shares enough of Commander's multiplayer structure that the card functions similarly there, though the lower starting life total compresses how much time you have to set up the asymmetry.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.29 bulk tier
At $0.29, Fraying Line is firmly bulk — low enough that acquisition cost is never a reason to skip it if the effect fits your deck. Bulk enchantments with narrow appeal rarely spike, so expect the price to stay in this range unless a high-profile Commander build pushes demand.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.