Orbs of Warding
Artifact
You have hexproof. (You can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.)
If a creature would deal damage to you, prevent 1 of that damage.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Magic Origins
- Price
- $0.53
- EDHREC rank
- #12774
Orbs of Warding gives you hexproof and shaves a damage off every creature source that hits you — two relevant protections on one artifact for five mana. The cost is steep enough that it belongs in decks that specifically need both effects, not as generic defensive filler.
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 |
Orbs of Warding is a Commander card through and through — the combination of hexproof from opponents' spells and passive damage reduction scales with the number of players throwing creatures and targeted effects at you, which is exactly the Commander environment. In 60-card competitive formats like Modern, Legacy, or Pioneer, five mana for a passive defensive artifact is far too slow and too narrow to matter; dedicated protection pieces exist at a fraction of the cost and mana. Commander is the one format where you have enough time to deploy it, enough opponents to make the damage reduction relevant, and enough targeted removal flying around that hexproof pulls real weight.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.53 bulk tier
At $0.53, Orbs of Warding sits firmly in bulk territory, which makes it an easy include if it fits your deck's plan — there's no financial barrier to testing it. Bulk artifacts at this price point rarely spike unless they land in a precon or get reprinted into the spotlight, so don't expect movement either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.