Hold for Ransom
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can't attack or block and has "
: Hold for Ransom's controller sacrifices it and draws a card. Activate only as a sorcery."
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Streets of New Capenna
- Price
- $0.08
- EDHREC rank
- #18725
Hold for Ransom sticks a creature under an Aura that locks it out of combat and activated abilities until an opponent pays increasing mana costs to free it — a soft lock that taxes rather than outright removes. It's a niche political tool, not a removal spell, and most competitive tables will just pay the ransom and move on.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Hold for Ransom occupies the same awkward space as other pseudo-removal Auras: it answers a threat without actually answering it, which matters when you're facing three opponents who can bail each other out. It works best in white-heavy control or taxation builds where the incremental mana drain compounds with other cost-increasing effects. In Pauper, where it's legal and the card pool is narrower, it's more credible — slowing down a key creature can swing a game at that power level. Modern, Pioneer, and Legacy offer far cleaner answers at the same or lower mana cost, so Hold for Ransom won't see play there.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.08 bulk tier
At $0.08, Hold for Ransom is pure bulk — grab a copy for pennies if the effect fits your build. Don't expect the price to move; niche Aura-based removal has a narrow audience and no competitive demand driving reprint pressure.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.