Hunter's Ambush
Instant
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by nongreen creatures this turn.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Magic 2015
- Price
- $0.07
- EDHREC rank
- #19666
Hunter's Ambush prevents all combat damage that would be dealt to you this turn by creatures your opponents control — a full fog effect that also has the upside of leaving your own attackers untouched. Three mana at instant speed is the right cost for that kind of blowout, and in green this is as cheap as fog effects get for the effect's scope.
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 |
Hunter's Ambush is a Commander card through and through — the format's multi-player combat math and alpha-strike culture is exactly where a fog effect earns its slot. In 1v1 formats like Modern, Pioneer, or Legacy, a three-mana instant that doesn't advance your board is almost never correct; you're racing, not surviving, and opponents won't walk into it twice. Pauper is the one exception worth noting: life-total-dependent or combo-adjacent decks that need a single turn of breathing room can justify it at common rarity. Vintage has better options at the same or cheaper cost. Run Hunter's Ambush in Commander if your deck needs a panic button — skip it everywhere else.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.07 bulk tier
At $0.07, Hunter's Ambush is deep bulk — you'll find it in any common box or throw-in trade. That price is stable by definition; there's no demand spike coming for a three-mana fog, so buy as many as you need without a second thought.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.