Provoke
Instant
Untap target creature you don't control. That creature blocks this turn if able.
Draw a card.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Stronghold
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #16182
Provoke forces a blocker of your choice to untap and attack your creature — turning an opponent's best defender into a sitting duck that eats combat damage before it can protect its owner again. At one mana, General Marhault Elsdragon decks run it as a repeatable engine piece, not a trick.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
General Marhault Elsdragon
General Marhault Elsdragon gets +1/+1 counters whenever a creature he's in combat with doesn't block, so Provoke does double duty: it pulls out a blocker you want dead while simultaneously setting up an unblocked attack elsewhere to stack counters.
Legolas, Master Archer
Legolas, Master Archer deals damage equal to his power to a target creature whenever he attacks, and Provoke dictates exactly which creature he trades fire with — turning that triggered ability into a targeted removal spell you fully control.
Anzrag, the Quake-Mole
Anzrag, the Quake-Mole triggers mass untap whenever he isn't blocked, so Provoke earns its slot by clearing the one blocker an opponent would otherwise park in the way — guaranteeing the unblocked trigger every single attack.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Provoke earns its keep, slotting cleanly into combat-matters strategies that want to dictate blocks rather than ask nicely. In Pauper it's legal and could theoretically see play in aggressive creature decks, but the combat math rarely lines up the way it does in multiplayer. Legacy and Vintage have it legal by rule, but neither format has ever given it a real home — those formats win before controlled blocking becomes relevant. Provoke is a Commander card through and through.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
At $0.20, Provoke is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard and postage, not the card itself. Bulk combat tricks don't appreciate, so grab it from a dollar bin and don't think twice about the price.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- General Marhault Elsdragon
- Legolas, Master Archer
- Anzrag, the Quake-Mole
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.