Hand to Hand
Enchantment
During combat, players can't cast instant spells or activate abilities that aren't mana abilities.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Tempest
- Price
- $0.50
- EDHREC rank
- #27631
Hand to Hand shuts off all blocking while it's in play — every creature on every side swings unimpeded, which either ends games fast or turns the board into a mutual massacre. At three mana for a red enchantment, the cost is low enough that aggressive red decks can deploy it early and immediately exploit the open lanes.
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 |
Hand to Hand sees essentially zero competitive play in Legacy or Vintage — formats where games rarely come down to combat math and where three mana buys something far more impactful. Commander is where it has a real argument: go-wide red strategies and combat-centric decks can weaponize the no-blocking rule more reliably than opponents, especially in multiplayer where someone always has a blocker worth neutering. The symmetry is the catch — Hand to Hand helps everyone attack, so it belongs in decks that are already winning the board or moving fastest, not in decks that need to stabilize.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.50 bulk tier
At $0.50, Hand to Hand is firmly bulk — you're not paying a premium for the effect, and there's no meaningful collector demand pushing the price up. It's a safe pickup if the effect fits your deck; don't expect the price to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.