Grab the Reins
Instant
Choose one —
• Until end of turn, you gain control of target creature and it gains haste.
• Sacrifice a creature. Grab the Reins deals damage equal to that creature's power to any target.
Entwine 
(Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.26
- EDHREC rank
- #11882
Grab the Reins steals a creature and flings it at a target for damage all in one shot — instant speed, no setup required. The floor is solid removal plus reach; the ceiling, with something like Serra Avatar on the battlefield, is a one-card kill that also wipes the board threat. Brion Stoutarm turns it into a three-mana ritual of destruction, which is exactly why it shows up in a third of those decks.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Brion Stoutarm
Brion Stoutarm's built-in fling ability already wants big creatures to throw, and Grab the Reins hands him a stolen one at instant speed — letting you take an opponent's Craterhoof Behemoth or Serra Avatar and immediately hurl it back for lethal without ever passing priority to let removal interfere.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Grab the Reins is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, though outside Commander it almost never sees play — four mana is steep for a format-defining tempo play, and neither Legacy nor Modern is short on better interaction. In Commander, the calculus flips: four mana at instant speed to steal a creature and redirect it as a damage source is exactly the kind of blowout a multiplayer game rewards, especially in Boros shells that want both the theft and the fling on the same card. Entwine decks that can pay six mana get the full effect — untapped control of the creature until end of turn plus the fling — which opens lines that straightforward removal never could.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Grab the ReinsSerra Avatar
Near-infinite damage to one opponent; Target opponent loses the game
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Grab the ReinsSoul of Eternity
Near-infinite damage to one opponent; Target opponent loses the game
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Grab the ReinsEnduring Angel // Angelic Enforcer
Near-infinite damage to one opponent; Target opponent loses the game
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Body of ResearchGrab the Reins
Near-infinite damage; Target opponent loses the game
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.26 bulk tier
At $0.26, Grab the Reins sits firmly in bulk territory — this is a pickup you throw in a cart without thinking twice. Given its narrow competitive demand outside Commander, that price is stable; don't expect movement in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.