Scatter Ray
Instant
Counter target artifact or creature spell unless its controller pays 
.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The Brothers' War
- Price
- $0.07
- EDHREC rank
- #15474
Scatter Ray counters a spell unless its controller pays 2 — cheap interaction that trades efficiency for flexibility, since the tax can be paid and often will be at higher tables. It earns a slot in budget lists and pauper-legal builds, but stronger counterspells crowd it out once your budget allows.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Scatter Ray sits in the lower tier of counterspells — the three-player political math means a 2-mana tax rarely stops a resolved threat, and most pilots upgrade to Counterspell or Arcane Denial once the budget allows. In Pauper, where the card pool is constrained, Scatter Ray becomes a legitimate option in control shells that need spell density. Legacy, Vintage, and Modern all have access to free or cheaper hard counters, so Scatter Ray doesn't see meaningful play there. It's a functional placeholder — legal everywhere it matters, optimal almost nowhere.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.07 bulk tier
At $0.07, Scatter Ray is deep bulk — the kind of card you pull from a common box without thinking. It won't appreciate; counterspells at this power level don't hold value, and supply is high enough that the price floor is essentially zero.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.