Judgment of Alexander
Instant
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you this turn by sources your opponents control. Whenever damage from a creature is prevented this way, each commander creature you control deals damage equal to its power to that creature.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Final Fantasy Commander
- Price
- $7.42
- EDHREC rank
- #14197
Judgment of Alexander taxes every spell your opponents cast for the rest of the game, and it does it the turn it hits the table. At its mana cost, it's one of the most efficient persistent tax effects in Commander.
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 |
Judgment of Alexander is a Commander card through and through — the multiplayer environment means the tax applies across three opponents simultaneously, compounding its value with every spell cast at the table. In a 1v1 Legacy or Vintage context, a one-mana tax is exploitable but far less backbreaking, and neither format has meaningful demand for it given the speed of those games. Commander is where this card earns its slot: stax and taxation shells want exactly this kind of repeating friction, and it asks very little in return.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Sphere of Resistance and Thorn of Amethyst both cover similar ground at under $2 and are staples in stax lists, though they lack Judgment of Alexander's name-brand synergy with specific commander payoffs. If the goal is pure tax redundancy on a budget, those two cover most of the same work — you lose some upside but keep the core effect.
Price Context
Current price
$7.42 mid tier
At $7.42, Judgment of Alexander sits in the mid tier — not a casual pickup, but not a barrier to entry either. Demand from stax and taxation-themed Commander decks keeps the price stable, and it's unlikely to crater as long as those archetypes remain popular.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.