Out of Bounds
Instant
Assist (Another player can pay up to 
of this spell's cost.)
Counter target spell.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Battlebond
- Price
- $0.25
- EDHREC rank
- #17626
Out of Bounds counters a spell and puts it on top of the library instead of the graveyard — a meaningful distinction when opponents rely on graveyard recursion or when denying them the card entirely for a turn matters. Two mana for a hard counter is the baseline that makes this playable, full stop.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Out of Bounds earns its slot primarily because the 'return to top of library' clause punishes graveyard-dependent strategies twice — the spell never resolves and it never fuels a Muldrotha or Delve payoff. Legacy and Vintage have access to Force of Will and Mana Drain, which push a vanilla two-mana counter down the priority list unless the library-manipulation clause is doing specific work. Oathbreaker's faster, more spell-dense games make the hard counter reliable, though the small card pool makes it easier to find narrower upgrades.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.25 bulk tier
At $0.25, Out of Bounds sits firmly in bulk territory and is unlikely to climb unless a graveyard-punishing interaction becomes widely recognized as a metagame necessity. It's a safe pickup at this price — you're not speculating, just filling a slot cheaply.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.