Out Cold
Instant
This spell can't be countered. (This includes by the ward ability.)
Tap up to two target creatures and put a stun counter on each of them. Investigate. (If a permanent with a stun counter would become untapped, remove one from it instead.)
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Murders at Karlov Manor
- Price
- $0.25
- EDHREC rank
- #13255
Out Cold taps a creature and keeps it tapped — no untap step escape — while also making it unable to block until your opponent jumps through a hoop. In Hylda of the Icy Crown decks, every activation is a triggered ability waiting to fire, which means Out Cold isn't just a tempo play but a repeatable engine piece.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Hylda of the Icy Crown
Hylda of the Icy Crown triggers off tapping opponents' creatures, so Out Cold's repeated tap activation turns one enchantment into a continuous stream of 4/4 tokens, scries, or extra draws — whichever axis you're pressing that game.
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, Out Cold earns its slot almost exclusively in tap-synergy builds — primarily Hylda of the Icy Crown — where the repeatable activation doubles as both a lock piece and a trigger source. Outside that shell, it's too mana-intensive to compete with cheaper spot removal. In 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, Out Cold is too slow and narrow; a three-mana enchantment that taps one creature doesn't clear the bar when Fatal Push and Unholy Heat exist. Pauper is the one non-Commander format worth a glance, where card quality compresses and a persistent tap effect has more room to breathe, but it still needs a dedicated shell to be worth inclusion.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.25 bulk tier
At $0.25, Out Cold sits firmly in bulk territory — you're not paying a premium for anything here. Bulk rares at this price point rarely spike unless they find a dominant shell, and Out Cold's ceiling is tied tightly to the popularity of tap-synergy commanders, so don't expect movement.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.