Gloom
Enchantment
White spells cost 
more to cast.
Activated abilities of white enchantments cost more to activate.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Unlimited Edition
- Price
- $8.42
- EDHREC rank
- #24425
Gloom taxes white spells and white activated abilities by three mana each — in the right meta, that's a hard lock on board wipes, removal, and life gain before opponents can respond. It's a narrow hate piece, but when it lands against a white-heavy table, it earns its slot.
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 Gloom has any real home: white is the most popular color in the format, and a resolved Gloom punishes Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of God, and Heliod activations in a single enchantment. The effect doesn't stop white — it taxes it, which means it pressures but doesn't guarantee a win, so run it in decks that can close the door while opponents are mana-starved. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but too slow and too situational to see meaningful play; non-rotating Constructed formats reward proactive threats, not reactive taxing enchantments with zero independent impact. Oathbreaker shares Commander's singleton white-heavy environment, so the logic carries over, though the lower life totals mean games end before Gloom's attrition can accumulate.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Gloom's closest functional replacement is Karma, which punishes Swamps rather than white mana — wrong color axis, wrong angle. The more honest budget swap is Thalia, Guardian of Thraben at under $3, which taxes all noncreature spells broadly rather than singling out white, giving you wider coverage at the cost of hitting your own spells too. If the goal is pure anti-white hate, Gloom is already one of the cheapest dedicated options; there's no strict upgrade path below it that hits the same axis.
Price Context
Current price
$8.42 mid tier
At $8.42, Gloom sits in mid-tier pricing for a card that sees almost no competitive play — that cost is driven entirely by age and scarcity rather than demand. It holds its price because supply is thin, not because players are chasing it, so don't expect it to climb.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.