Refute
Instant
Counter target spell. Draw a card, then discard a card.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Foundations
- Price
- $0.26
- EDHREC rank
- #2003
Refute counters any spell and replaces itself with a card draw — the two-for-one baseline that makes three-mana counterspells worth running. In decks led by Captain Howler, Sea Scourge, where every instant is fuel, that incidental draw is the whole reason it's here over a cheaper but blanker option.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Captain Howler, Sea Scourge
Captain Howler, Sea Scourge cares about casting instants, and Refute delivers both a hard counter and a card draw off a single spell — each cast pulling double duty toward the engine's triggers.
Baral, Chief of Compliance
Baral, Chief of Compliance reduces Refute to two mana and loots on resolution, turning a straightforward counterspell into cheap card selection that keeps the hand full.
Vnwxt, Verbose Host
Vnwxt, Verbose Host rewards casting spells with lots of words and abilities, and Refute's counter-plus-draw structure makes it a natural fit for stacking spell-cast triggers.
The Watcher in the Water
The Watcher in the Water wants instants in the graveyard and on the stack, and Refute's cantrip body means it replaces itself while feeding that spell-count gameplan.
Koma, World-Eater
Koma, World-Eater decks lean on blue interaction to protect a slow, expensive threat, and Refute pulls protection duty without costing a card in hand.
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, Refute sits at the lower end of playable three-mana counterspells — the draw clause is the entire justification for the extra mana over Counterspell or Negate. In Pauper, it's a real option since the card pool for unconditional counters is shallow at common, and drawing a card off a counter is a meaningful advantage. In Modern and Pioneer, Refute doesn't see play; the formats move fast enough that paying three for a counter with upside still loses to cheaper options like Counterspell or Mana Leak variants. Legacy and Vintage have no interest — free or one-mana interaction dominates. Standard is where Refute occasionally cycles through legitimacy: when the counterspell pool thins out, the draw clause earns its mana.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.26 bulk tier
At $0.26, Refute is bulk — grab a copy out of any common box without thinking about it. It won't appreciate; it's a functional common in formats that want it and ignored everywhere else, so the price stays flat.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Captain Howler, Sea Scourge
- Baral, Chief of Compliance
- Vnwxt, Verbose Host
- The Watcher in the Water
- Koma, World-Eater
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.