Sleeper's Guile
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has fear. (It can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.)
When this Aura is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, return it to its owner's hand.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Urza's Legacy
- Price
- $0.12
- EDHREC rank
- #19427
Sleeper's Guile gives a creature fear and unblockability against non-black, non-artifact creatures for two mana — and when the enchanted creature dies, it bounces back to your hand rather than going to the graveyard. The recursion clause is real upside, but the effect is narrow enough that it only earns a slot when you're specifically building around evasion or repeated enchantment triggers.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Sleeper's Guile earns its slot in Voltron strategies and theft-based builds where fear evasion consistently connects — black commanders like Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon or Yargle and Multani benefit most since fear is already aligned with their color identity. Outside of those homes it's too conditional, given how many decks run green creatures or artifact creatures that block right through it. In Pauper it's legal but competes with cheaper, unconditional evasion options and doesn't see meaningful play. Legacy and Vintage have it on the books, but the effect isn't close to playable in those formats.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.12 bulk tier
At $0.12, Sleeper's Guile is deep bulk — pick it up freely if the synergy is there. Prices at this tier don't move meaningfully, so there's no timing consideration; it's a cheap include or a cheap pass.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.