Obsidian Acolyte
Creature — Human Cleric
Protection from black
: Target creature gains protection from black until end of turn.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Invasion
- Price
- $0.33
- EDHREC rank
- #27272
Obsidian Acolyte turns all your black creatures white for one white mana — useful in a narrow band of decks that care about color specifically, and nearly useless everywhere else. It's a 1/1 with no evasion and no upside beyond that activated ability, so unless you're building around protection from black or running a dedicated white-creature payoff, it earns its cut 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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Obsidian Acolyte sees essentially zero competitive play in Legacy or Vintage — the effect is too narrow and the body too small to matter in those formats. In Commander, it occupies a fringe role: decks that want to dodge a black sweeper like Pestilence or protect against a black-heavy pod can use it as a tech piece, but that's a very specific metagame call. Pauper is its most plausible home, where a repeatable color-change effect on a common is at least theoretically exploitable in a dedicated build.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.33 bulk tier
At $0.33, Obsidian Acolyte sits firmly in bulk territory, and there's no pressure on that price — demand is too low and supply too deep for it to move. Buy it if the effect fits your deck; don't expect it to appreciate.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.