Hover Barrier
Creature — Illusion Wall
Defender, flying
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- RNA Guild Kit
- Price
- $0.82
- EDHREC rank
- #5862
Hover Barrier is a 0/6 flyer for three mana — a ceiling that blocks almost every relevant creature in the air while contributing a massive toughness number to the board. Outside of Arcades, the Strategist decks, that 0 power makes it a pure stall piece with no offensive upside, so its home is narrow but unambiguous.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Arcades, the Strategist
Arcades, the Strategist turns Hover Barrier's 6 toughness into a 6-power evasive attacker that draws a card on entry — it's one of the best bodies in the deck at any price point.
The Pride of Hull Clade
The Pride of Hull Clade cares about high-toughness creatures to distribute +1/+1 counters, and Hover Barrier's 6 toughness makes it one of the better targets for that effect while also holding the air.
Phenax, God of Deception
Phenax, God of Deception taps creatures to mill opponents equal to their toughness, so Hover Barrier tapping to bin six cards per activation is straightforwardly one of the best mill engines the deck can run.
Pramikon, Sky Rampart
Pramikon, Sky Rampart builds a defensive wall strategy, and Hover Barrier's combination of flying and a 6-toughness body makes it one of the more effective air-traffic controllers in that shell.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Hover Barrier is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but competitive constructed formats have no interest in a 0-power creature regardless of toughness. Commander is its real home, and even there the card is almost entirely Arcades, the Strategist territory — the synergy score of 0.62 and 67% inclusion rate say everything. Outside of defender-matters or toughness-matters strategies, it's a three-mana blocker that never attacks, which is simply not a role worth a card slot in most 100-card builds.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.82 bulk tier
At $0.82, Hover Barrier sits in bulk territory — it's cheap enough to pick up as an auto-include for any Arcades, the Strategist build without a second thought. The price is unlikely to move meaningfully in either direction given how format-specific the demand is.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Arcades, the Strategist
- The Pride of Hull Clade
- Phenax, God of Deception
- Pramikon, Sky Rampart
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.