Permission Denied
Instant
Counter target noncreature spell. Your opponents can't cast noncreature spells this turn.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- UW
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Jurassic World Collection
- Price
- $10.05
- EDHREC rank
- #4281
Permission Denied counters a spell and creates a Clue token — card advantage stapled onto interaction, which is rare for a three-mana counterspell. In the right shell, particularly Grand Arbiter Augustin IV where it costs one less to cast, it's a clean inclusion that replaces itself.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV reduces Permission Denied to two mana, making a three-mana counterspell-plus-clue into one of the most efficient pieces of interaction in the deck.
Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
Lavinia, Azorius Renegade locks opponents off noncreature spells without the mana to cast them, and Permission Denied backs that up by hard-countering anything that slips through while replacing itself.
Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists
Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists care about artifact tokens, so Permission Denied's Clue isn't incidental value — it's a trigger and a card in one.
Sen Triplets
Sen Triplets demand that opponents can't execute their own game plan, and Permission Denied punishes any spell they try to resolve while leaving you up a card to fuel the lock.
The Celestial Toymaker
The Celestial Toymaker rewards generating artifacts and tokens, and Permission Denied feeds that engine with a Clue every time you stop an opponent's spell.
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 |
Commander is where Permission Denied earns its slot — multiplayer games run long enough that the Clue token translates into a meaningful card, and the threat density justifies running a three-mana counter. In Oathbreaker the logic holds but the tighter game length makes the floor lower; you want the counter, but cracking the Clue may feel slow. Legacy and Vintage are legal formats for Permission Denied but effectively irrelevant — those formats have Counterspell, Force of Will, and Mana Drain, and a three-mana spell that draws a card is nowhere near that power band.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Frantic Search and Dissolve are the closest functional neighbors — Dissolve hard-counters and draws a card for three mana, trading the artifact token for a guaranteed draw at instant speed, which is often better. If you want the clue-token angle specifically and need to trim cost, Witness Protection doesn't counter but answers permanents cheaply, and Convolute fills the counter slot at a similar price point without the upside.
Price Context
Current price
$10.05 mid tier
At $10.05, Permission Denied sits in the mid tier — noticeable on a budget but not a barrier for a focused Azorius build. It holds value primarily through casual Commander demand; if that demand softens, it's a card that could drift downward, so if you're planning to run it, now is as reasonable a time as any to pick it up.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.