Man-o'-War
Creature — Jellyfish
When this creature enters, return target creature to its owner's hand.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- World Championship Decks 1997
- Price
- $0.39
- EDHREC rank
- #7897
Man-o'-War earns its slot the moment it enters: a tempo-positive bounce effect stapled to a 2/2 body for three mana, and that body is what every flicker and clone engine wants. Commanders like Volo, Guide to Monsters copy the enters trigger repeatedly, turning one bounce into a board-control engine, and the overlap with infinite-mana lines through Peregrine Drake makes it one of the most quietly dangerous commons in the format.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Volo, Guide to Monsters
Volo, Guide to Monsters copies Man-o'-War on entry since Jellyfish is unlikely to already be in the log, immediately generating two bounce triggers — a repeatable disruption loop whenever you can flicker or replay the original.
Cynette, Jelly Drover
Man-o'-War is a Jellyfish, which means Cynette, Jelly Drover counts it toward her token-generating trigger while the bounce ETB clears blockers or resets opposing value pieces.
Y'shtola Rhul
Y'shtola Rhul's ability to recast permanents from exile makes Man-o'-War's enters-the-battlefield trigger free to recur, creating a steady stream of bounce effects without spending additional cards.
Brago, King Eternal
Brago, King Eternal flickers Man-o'-War every combat, resetting the bounce trigger on each attack and letting you lock opponents out of key permanents over repeated turns.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Man-o'-War is a role-player in any blue deck that cares about enters-the-battlefield triggers — flicker, clone, and Jellyfish tribal shells all use it as cheap, repeatable interaction. Pauper is where it has always been a genuine staple, offering meaningful tempo at common rarity in a format where a 2/2 body and a free bounce can swing games. In Legacy and Vintage it sees fringe play at best — the power ceiling of those formats makes three mana for a tempo effect too slow without a dedicated synergy shell built around it. Oathbreaker and Commander are its natural home: multiplayer slows the format down enough that an ETB bounce stays relevant all game.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Peregrine DrakeMan-o'-WarPanharmonicon
Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite mana lands you control can produce; Infinite storm count
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Peregrine DrakeMan-o'-WarYarok, the Desecrated
Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite mana lands you control can produce; Infinite storm count
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Intruder AlarmMan-o'-War
Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce; Infinite storm count; Infinite untap of creatures; Infinite untap of creatures you control
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Volo, Guide to MonstersFood ChainMan-o'-War
Infinite colored mana that can only be spent to cast creature spells; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite storm count; Return any number of creatures to their owners' hands
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.39 bulk tier
At $0.39, Man-o'-War sits firmly in bulk territory, which is exactly where a card with this much reprint history should land. It's a safe pickup with no real price upside, but you're playing it for the effect, not the speculation.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.