Reins of Power
Instant
Untap all creatures you control and all creatures target opponent controls. You and that opponent each gain control of all creatures the other controls until end of turn. Those creatures gain haste until end of turn.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Commander 2016
- Price
- $2.07
- EDHREC rank
- #3835
Reins of Power flips the board state instantly — you take their creatures, they take yours, untapped and ready to swing, all for two blue mana at instant speed. It's a combat trick, a wrath answer, and a political grenade rolled into one, and the only real cost is that Echo Mage can't copy it cheaply and Phelddagrif pilots who run it often find it ends friendships faster than hippo tokens.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Phelddagrif
Phelddagrif decks play a political long game, and Reins of Power fits perfectly as a pivoting tool — steal the scariest board at instant speed, crash it into another opponent, then hand the pieces back with a smile.
Firkraag, Cunning Instigator
Firkraag, Cunning Instigator wants creatures attacking into each other, and Reins of Power is the nuclear version of that plan — take the biggest army at the table, redirect it, and let Firkraag collect the goaded chaos.
Zedruu the Greathearted
Zedruu the Greathearted is built around giving things away for value, and Reins of Power slots in as a way to temporarily commandeer a threatening board, deal the damage, then let the swap resolve and let Zedruu spin that political equity into card draw.
Jon Irenicus, Shattered One
Jon Irenicus, Shattered One already specializes in donating creatures to opponents for punishment, and Reins of Power completes the loop — take back whatever you gave away, or steal an opponent's army and slam it into the person holding your gifted threats.
Kros, Defense Contractor
Kros, Defense Contractor builds a web of goad and counter-manipulation, and Reins of Power is the blowout button when someone accumulates a board that Kros can no longer safely redirect through combat tricks alone.
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 |
Reins of Power is a Commander card through and through — the four-player political landscape is exactly where swapping armies at instant speed generates the most equity, and at six mana it fits comfortably into the mid-to-late-game window where boards are swollen and the swap is backbreaking. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but practically absent; six mana at sorcery-adjacent impact doesn't compete when those formats end before the effect becomes relevant. Oathbreaker gives it a narrow home in slower, more interactive builds where a single creature swap can decide a game. Everywhere else it simply doesn't exist.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Reins of PowerEcho Mage
Infinite magecraft triggers; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce for target opponent; Infinite untap of creatures you control
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Reins of PowerSigil Tracer
Infinite magecraft triggers; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce for target opponent; Infinite untap of creatures you control
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Reins of PowerMindslaverDual Casting
Infinite magecraft triggers; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce for target opponent; Infinite untap of creatures you control
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$2.07 cheap tier
At $2.07, Reins of Power sits in the cheap tier — easy to pick up as a one-of and unlikely to spike given its narrow format appeal and Commander-specific role. It's stable value: useful enough to keep casual demand steady, niche enough that it won't climb without a reprint or a breakout combo discovery.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Echo Mage
- Phelddagrif
- Firkraag, Cunning Instigator
- Zedruu the Greathearted
- Jon Irenicus, Shattered One
- Kros, Defense Contractor
- Sigil Tracer
- Mindslaver
- Dual Casting
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.