Grip of Amnesia
Instant
Counter target spell unless its controller exiles all cards from their graveyard.
Draw a card.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Judgment
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #19554
Grip of Amnesia counters any spell for two mana, but only if the target's controller exiles their graveyard — a condition that neuters it against any deck not actively using the graveyard. It's a conditional counterspell in a format full of unconditional ones, and that gap is too wide to paper over.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Grip of Amnesia sits below the playability threshold — graveyard-light opponents will simply pay the exile cost and keep their spell, and two mana can buy hard counters like Counterspell or Arcane Denial that never ask permission. Legacy and Vintage have the same problem at a higher power level: graveyard decks there often want the exile anyway, and the format's blue staples are far more reliable. Pauper is the format most worth watching, since graveyard recursion is common enough that the condition occasionally bites — but even there, cheaper commons do the job more cleanly.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
At $0.20, Grip of Amnesia is deep bulk — priced exactly where its power level puts it. It won't climb; conditional counterspells don't hold value when unconditional options at the same or lower price points exist.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.