Ixalan's Binding
Enchantment
When this enchantment enters, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls until this enchantment leaves the battlefield.
Your opponents can't cast spells with the same name as the exiled card.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.21
- EDHREC rank
- #23486
Ixalan's Binding exiles a nonland permanent and locks every copy of it out of the game for as long as the enchantment stays in play — that's a hard answer to commanders, combo pieces, and problem permanents that bounce-based removal can't permanently solve. Four mana is the real cost, and in faster formats that tempo hit is disqualifying, but in Commander it's a clean, durable answer that pulls real weight.
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 |
Commander is where Ixalan's Binding earns its slot — the format is full of recurring threats, and the clause preventing opponents from casting other copies of the exiled card doubles as a soft lock on the commander itself if it gets named. In Modern and Pioneer it sees essentially no play; four mana for a sorcery-speed removal spell with no immediate effect is too slow against creature-based aggro and most combo decks. Legacy and Vintage are hostile environments for the same reason, plus the card faces competition from vastly more efficient white interaction. In Oathbreaker, the commander-lock angle applies just as it does in EDH, giving it a small functional niche there too.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.21 bulk tier
At $0.21, Ixalan's Binding is deep bulk — you're picking it out of a dollar box or grabbing a playset for under a dollar without thinking twice. Bulk enchantment removal doesn't appreciate meaningfully unless a new commander creates a spike in demand, so treat it as a cheap, disposable include rather than a spec.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.