Mystic Denial
Instant
Counter target creature or sorcery spell.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Portal Three Kingdoms
- Price
- $9.54
- EDHREC rank
- #28143
Mystic Denial counters a spell and leaves a 1/1 Illusion token on the battlefield — two effects on one card at instant speed. Three mana is the real cost of admission, and at that price it has to compete with Counterspell and Arcane Denial for the slot.
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 |
Commander is where Mystic Denial is most at home: the token body provides a blocker or sacrifice fodder after you've already disrupted an opponent's play, which matters in a format where board presence accumulates slowly. Legacy and Vintage both allow it, but three-mana counterspells don't survive in those formats — Force of Will and Daze set the bar, and Mystic Denial doesn't clear it. Oathbreaker is the one other format worth mentioning, and it functions there for the same reasons it does in Commander: the tempo exchange of counter plus token is more meaningful in a slower, higher-life-total game.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Arcane Denial costs a fraction of a cent and counters almost anything unconditionally, making it the most direct replacement for Mystic Denial's slot in most blue decks. If the token body is what draws you in, Quench or An-Zerrin Ruins won't replicate it, but Geist of Saint Traft adjacent effects and token-generating counterspells are thin on the ground — Mystic Denial is nearly unique in that specific niche.
Price Context
Current price
$9.54 mid tier
At $9.54, Mystic Denial sits in mid-tier pricing for a counterspell that sees niche play — you're paying a premium for the novelty of a counter that produces a token, not for raw power level. That price is unlikely to compress significantly given the limited competitive demand, but it won't spike either.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.