Shadowbane
Instant
The next time a source of your choice would deal damage to you and/or creatures you control this turn, prevent that damage. If damage from a black source is prevented this way, you gain that much life.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Mirage
- Price
- $0.26
- EDHREC rank
- #29334
Shadowbane redirects all damage from a source of your choice to you — not to the target, to you — making it a situational trick that saves a creature but only works if you can absorb the damage yourself. At one white mana, the cost is right, but the effect is too narrow and self-punishing for most Commander lists.
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 |
In Commander, Shadowbane occupies a fringe niche: it can save a key creature from a burn spell or combat damage, but redirecting that damage to yourself is a steep price in a format where life totals start at 40 and opponents frequently deal 10+ at a time. Legacy and Vintage have enough precision spellslinging that a one-mana instant with this effect could theoretically appear in niche creature-protection packages, but even there it rarely makes the cut over conventional protection spells. Shadowbane's legality in Oathbreaker doesn't change the calculus much — the format is faster and the self-damage clause remains a liability.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.26 bulk tier
Shadowbane sits firmly in bulk territory at $0.26, which accurately reflects its limited demand. Don't expect that price to move — the card sees almost no competitive or casual play at scale.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.