Mind Bend
Instant
Change the text of target permanent by replacing all instances of one color word with another or one basic land type with another. (For example, you may change "nonblack creature" to "nongreen creature" or "forestwalk" to "islandwalk." This effect lasts indefinitely.)
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Tenth Edition
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #15737
Mind Bend changes a word on any permanent or spell for one blue mana — that's an absurd rate for the effect. The most reliable home is Orvar, the All-Form, where targeting your own permanents with Mind Bend triggers Orvar's copy ability as a side effect; outside of that engine, the card sees fringe use in color-hate shells and niche Teysa, Orzhov Scion builds that want to reclassify token colors on the fly.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Orvar, the All-Form
Orvar, the All-Form runs Mind Bend as a one-mana cantrip engine piece — targeting one of your own permanents with it triggers Orvar to create a copy of that permanent, so Mind Bend pulls double duty as both the cheapest possible Orvar trigger and an occasionally relevant text-change effect.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Mind Bend is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but in competitive non-rotating formats it essentially sees zero play — text-change effects don't map onto any established strategy in Legacy or Modern. Commander is where Mind Bend actually gets used, and even there it's a narrow include: Orvar, the All-Form decks run it purely as the cheapest spell that targets your own permanents, not for the text-change clause. Outside of Orvar, the card requires a very specific gameplan — color-dependent triggers, protection from a particular color, or domain-style effects — before it pulls any weight.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Teysa, Orzhov ScionMind Bend
Exile all creatures opponents control; Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite sacrifice triggers
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Mind Bend isn't currently available, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live number. Given its narrow application and low demand outside Orvar lists, it has historically sat in bulk-rare territory — if you need one, you're unlikely to pay much.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.