Scattering Stroke
Instant
Counter target spell. Clash with an opponent. If you win, at the beginning of your next main phase, you may add an amount of 
equal to that spell's mana value. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of their library, then puts that card on their choice of the top or bottom. A player wins if their card had a greater mana value.)
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Lorwyn
- Price
- $0.29
- EDHREC rank
- #12568
Scattering Stroke counters a spell and, if the caster can't pay the cipher cost when you later connect with a creature, hands you two cards — a counterspell that converts into card advantage on the same card. Outside of Marvo, Deep Operative decks where cipher triggers are engineered into the gameplan, that two-card payoff rarely materializes, making this a narrow role-player rather than a generic blue staple.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Marvo, Deep Operative
Marvo, Deep Operative mills opponents when you cast cipher spells, and Scattering Stroke is one of the few cipher cards that pulls double duty — stopping a threat immediately while setting up future card draw every time Marvo or another creature connects.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Scattering Stroke is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it sees essentially no play outside of Commander. In Legacy and Vintage, a four-mana counterspell competes with Force of Will and Counterspell at zero to two mana — the cipher upside doesn't come close to closing that gap. In Modern the story is the same: Archmage's Charm and Counterspell exist at half the cost. Commander is the one format where four-mana interaction is tolerable and games go long enough that the encoded copy actually triggers, which is exactly why Scattering Stroke lands almost exclusively in Marvo, Deep Operative builds.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.29 bulk tier
At $0.29, Scattering Stroke is firmly bulk — easy to acquire and not a financial commitment in any direction. Bulk cipher cards don't tend to spike unless a commander breaks the mechanic wide open, and the current price reflects its narrow, commander-specific appeal.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.