Obstinate Baloth
Creature — Beast
When this creature enters, you gain 4 life.
If a spell or ability an opponent controls causes you to discard this card, put it onto the battlefield instead of putting it into your graveyard.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The Brothers' War
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #21308
Obstinate Baloth is a four-mana 4/4 that gains you 4 life and punishes discard strategies by coming into play for free when discarded — a clean rate with a relevant upside in the right meta. It's not a bomb, but it overperforms against Liliana of the Veil and wheel effects.
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, Obstinate Baloth earns its slot specifically in metas with wheel commanders like Nekusar, the Mindrazer or Leovold, Emissary of Trest — being forced to discard it triggers its own enters-the-battlefield clause, which turns a punishment into a free 4/4 and 4 life. Outside that niche, a vanilla 4/4 for four doesn't clear the bar in a 100-card singleton format. In Modern, it still sees fringe sideboard play as a hedge against Grief and Aether Vial discard piles, though its stock has fallen as that meta has shifted. Legacy and Vintage have access to the same discard punishment angle but rarely need a four-mana creature to answer it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Obstinate Baloth is deep bulk — you'll find copies in any dollar bin. The price accurately reflects its narrow application; it won't appreciate unless discard-heavy strategies surge back into a major format.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.