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Malevolent Hermit // Benevolent Geist

Creature — Human Wizard // Creature — Spirit Wizard

{U}, Sacrifice this creature: Counter target noncreature spell unless its controller pays {3}.
Disturb {2}{U} (You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.)

CMC
2
Mana cost
{1}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
rare
Set
Innistrad: Double Feature
Price
$1.56
EDHREC rank
#4052
Buy on TCGplayer
Malevolent Hermit // Benevolent Geist card art
Malevolent Hermit // Benevolent Geist locks down your noncreature spells once it flips — every instant and sorcery you cast becomes uncounterable, which is a backbreaking position to hold in blue mirrors. The cost is a 2/1 body that needs to die before you get there, but sacrifice outlets like Phyrexian Altar and synergistic pairings like Neerdiv, Devious Diver make that transformation fast and repeatable.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Neerdiv, Devious Diver

Neerdiv, Devious Diver

51.5% of decks · synergy 0.49

Neerdiv, Devious Diver decks are running Malevolent Hermit // Benevolent Geist in over half their lists because the flipped Geist makes every connive trigger and cantrip uncounterable, protecting the entire engine from interaction.

02
Azami, Lady of Scrolls

Azami, Lady of Scrolls

49.7% of decks · synergy 0.47

Azami, Lady of Scrolls draws from every wizard on the board, and Malevolent Hermit // Benevolent Geist slots in as both a wizard body for Azami and a flipped lockpiece that protects the draw chain from countermagic.

03
Baral, Chief of Compliance

Baral, Chief of Compliance

15.9% of decks · synergy 0.13

Baral, Chief of Compliance already reduces spell costs and draws on counters, so Malevolent Hermit // Benevolent Geist adds a second axis — once flipped, it shields the spells Baral is discounting from being countered right back.

04
Raffine, Scheming Seer

Raffine, Scheming Seer

12.1% of decks · synergy 0.11

Raffine, Scheming Seer attacks and connives, and Malevolent Hermit // Benevolent Geist protects that attack step's payoff by making the spells cast off connive filters uncounterable once the Geist is online.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is the primary home for Malevolent Hermit // Benevolent Geist — the flipped Geist's blanket protection for your noncreature spells is most punishing in a multiplayer format where blue counterspells are everywhere and a single protection piece affects multiple opponents simultaneously. In Modern and Legacy, the two-mana 2/1 front face is too slow and fragile to compete with the format's removal density, and the flip condition requires your own sacrifice setup rather than just dying to a board wipe. Pioneer sits in a similar position — it's legal but the creature's stats and the setup cost make it a fringe consideration at best. Vintage has the raw power level to abuse uncounterable spells, but the format moves too fast to invest in a flip creature. Stick to Commander.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$1.56 cheap tier

At $1.56, Malevolent Hermit // Benevolent Geist is firmly budget — you're getting a genuine protection piece with a combo pedigree for less than a pack of sleeves. The price is unlikely to drop further given its concentration in dedicated wizard and spellslinger builds, so picking it up now is straightforward value.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.