Negate
Instant
Counter target noncreature spell.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Aether Revolt
- Price
- $0.27
- EDHREC rank
- #53
Negate stops any noncreature spell cold for two mana — a counterspell slot that covers planeswalkers, board wipes, combos, and every other threat that doesn't have a power and toughness. The cost is that it whiffs on creature-based strategies entirely, so it belongs in decks that already have creature removal handled. One exception worth noting: Hinata, Dawn-Crowned reduces its cost to a single blue, making it one of the most efficient answers available in that shell.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Hinata, Dawn-Crowned
Hinata, Dawn-Crowned's cost-reduction ability applies to Negate — it becomes a one-mana hard counter, which is simply broken value in a deck already built around targeting spells and protecting its engine.
Baral, Chief of Compliance
Baral, Chief of Compliance makes Negate cost a single blue mana, turning every protected combo turn into a near-free insurance policy while also triggering Baral's loot ability on resolution.
Haldan, Avid Arcanist // Pako, Arcane Retriever
Haldan, Avid Arcanist // Pako, Arcane Retriever runs a noncreature-heavy game plan that needs to survive to the midgame, and Negate answers the board wipes and interaction that would derail Pako's exile engine before it takes over.
Talrand, Sky Summoner
Talrand, Sky Summoner converts every spell into a 2/2 Drake, so Negate does double duty — it counters a threat and immediately manufactures a blocker or attacker off the stack.
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Edric, Spymaster of Trest wins through unblocked attackers generating card advantage, and Negate protects that axis by countering the sweepers and targeted removal that break up the board before the card-draw engine pulls away.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Negate is a role-player rather than a staple — it earns its slot in spell-heavy blue decks and combo shells where noncreature threats dominate the table, but decks without a dedicated creature-removal suite should think twice before leaning on it as their primary interaction. In competitive formats like Legacy and Vintage, it sits well below the power threshold of Flusterstorm and Force of Will, though it occasionally appears in sideboards targeting specific noncreature matchups. Modern and Pioneer treat it similarly — a sideboard card for combo or control mirrors where you need cheap answers to noncreature permanents. In Pauper, Negate is a genuine mainstay given the format's density of instants, sorceries, and artifacts that define the top strategies.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.27 bulk tier
At $0.27, Negate is firmly bulk — wide print runs across many sets have kept it at floor price and that ceiling isn't moving. It's a free inclusion from a financial standpoint; no version of this card is worth shopping around for.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Hinata, Dawn-Crowned
- Baral, Chief of Compliance
- Haldan, Avid Arcanist // Pako, Arcane Retriever
- Talrand, Sky Summoner
- Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.