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Siren's Ruse

Instant

Exile target creature you control, then return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control. If a Pirate was exiled this way, draw a card.

CMC
2
Mana cost
{1}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
common
Set
Ixalan
Price
$0.24
EDHREC rank
#5838
Buy on TCGplayer
Siren's Ruse card art
Siren's Ruse flickers a creature you control for one blue mana and draws a card — that's an absurd rate for what amounts to a cantripping protection spell. The card earns its slot whenever your deck cares about enter-the-battlefield triggers, and it's a combo piece outright with Naru Meha, Master Wizard and a staple in Vannifar, Evolved Enigma lists.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Vannifar, Evolved Enigma

Vannifar, Evolved Enigma

35.8% of decks · synergy 0.35

Vannifar, Evolved Enigma taps to morph creatures, and Siren's Ruse resets that tap ability at instant speed while drawing a card — it's effectively an extra activation every turn cycle.

02
Admiral Brass, Unsinkable

Admiral Brass, Unsinkable

22.0% of decks · synergy 0.21

Admiral Brass, Unsinkable brings Pirates back from the graveyard with a finality counter, and Siren's Ruse blinks those creatures to strip the counter off, letting Brass reanimate the same Pirate again and again.

03
Admiral Beckett Brass

Admiral Beckett Brass

20.2% of decks · synergy 0.19

Admiral Beckett Brass rewards you for connecting with three Pirates at once, and Siren's Ruse keeps your key attackers alive through blockers or removal while replacing itself — the cantrip matters when you're trying to hit a specific threshold.

04
Cynette, Jelly Drover

Cynette, Jelly Drover

19.2% of decks · synergy 0.18

Cynette, Jelly Drover generates tokens on ETB triggers, and Siren's Ruse doubles down on that by reflickering Cynette or any other ETB creature for a single blue mana with a free card attached.

05
Pir, Imaginative RascalToothy, Imaginary Friend

Pir, Imaginative Rascal // Toothy, Imaginary Friend

18.2% of decks · synergy 0.17

Toothy, Imaginary Friend grows on card draws and dumps those counters as card draw when it leaves play — Siren's Ruse deliberately triggers both halves, flickering Toothy to cash in its counters and then drawing into the refuel.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper legal
oathbreaker legal

Siren's Ruse is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but Commander is where it actually shows up. In Pauper, one-mana cantripping flicker effects are legitimately powerful and Siren's Ruse could find a home in any blue ETB shell, though the format's creature base tends to favor blink-heavy strategies with white. In Pioneer and Modern, the card is too narrow — dedicated flicker decks exist but have better tools that don't require a Pirate or Wizard restriction. Commander is the clear home: the singleton format rewards flexible cantrips, ETB value creatures are everywhere, and the Naru Meha, Master Wizard combo line alone justifies the inclusion in the right build.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.24 bulk tier

At $0.24, Siren's Ruse is bulk — pick it up without thinking twice. Bulk cantrips with this much combo upside don't typically spike unless a new commander pushes them into the spotlight, but at this price the question is never whether to buy it.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.