Miscast
Instant
Counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays 
.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Secret Lair Drop
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #2460
Miscast is a one-mana counterspell that stops instants and sorceries cold — the opponent can pay four to push through, but at that cost it's taxing everything meaningful. In pirate-tribal builds like Francisco, Fowl Marauder // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator, where you're holding up mana to trigger Malcolm anyway, the efficiency is nearly free.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Francisco, Fowl Marauder // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Francisco, Fowl Marauder // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator runs Miscast because the deck already wants to leave mana open on opponents' turns to maximize Malcolm's treasure triggers — slipping in a one-mana counterspell that punishes the instants and sorceries threatening your board is a natural fit.
Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator is another Malcolm shell, and the same logic applies: Miscast slots into the reactive mana you're already holding to fire off combat triggers, making it a low-opportunity-cost piece of interaction.
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 |
In Commander, Miscast occupies the budget end of the counterspell spectrum — it handles the wraths, tutors, and interaction spells that define most threat arcs, and the four-mana tax is prohibitive enough at parity. Outside Commander, Miscast sees fringe play in Legacy and Vintage as a sideboard piece against combo, where the cheap mana cost matters more than hard countering. In Modern and Pioneer it's generally outclassed by Force of Negation, Spell Pierce, or Counterspell itself, but it's not unplayable in aggressive blue shells that want the lowest possible pip cost. Standard and Pauper aren't options.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data isn't available for Miscast right now — check your preferred retailer for current spread. Given its casual Commander demand and printings as a common, it typically sits well under a dollar and is almost never a budget concern.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Francisco, Fowl Marauder // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
- Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.