Slip Out the Back
Instant
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. It phases out. (Treat it and anything attached to it as though they don't exist until its controller's next turn.)
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Ravnica: Clue Edition
- Price
- $4.01
- EDHREC rank
- #1134
Slip Out the Back saves a creature from removal, blanks a blocker, and untaps a phased-out permanent — all for one blue mana at instant speed. It's one of the most efficient protection spells in the format, and Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief copying it for free on every cast makes it do double duty without spending extra cards.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief
Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief copies every single-target spell you cast, so Slip Out the Back becomes two phase-outs for one mana — protecting Ivy herself and another creature simultaneously, or just generating two counters' worth of value from a single spell.
Me, the Immortal
Me, the Immortal wants to keep its small, powerful creatures alive through multiple combat steps, and Slip Out the Back phases out a key piece at the worst possible moment for opponents while leaving it ready to re-enter untapped on your turn.
River Song
River Song rewards you for casting instants and sorceries from exile and the top of your library, and Slip Out the Back is cheap enough to chain naturally through those lines while also protecting River Song from removal mid-combo.
Kotis, the Fangkeeper
Kotis, the Fangkeeper builds around token creatures and counters, and Slip Out the Back protects the most loaded creature at instant speed — keeping a critical pump target alive through a removal spell or an unexpected board wipe.
Tetsuo, Imperial Champion
Tetsuo, Imperial Champion needs to survive long enough to deal targeted damage repeatedly, and Slip Out the Back is the cheapest way to phase him out of a kill spell or combat trick, returning him ready to fire again next turn.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Slip Out the Back earns its slot in any blue deck that cares about protecting a specific creature — it's cleaner than most counterspells for that job because it costs one mana and doesn't require holding up two. In Modern and Pioneer, it sees play primarily as a protection spell in decks running auras or creatures with expensive activated abilities, where losing the target to removal is a full-card loss. Legacy has access to better disruption at the same cost, so it's mostly a fringe choice there. Oathbreaker treats it the same way Commander does — cheap, instant-speed protection that doubles as a combat trick.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$4.01 cheap tier
At $4.01, Slip Out the Back sits at the high end of the cheap tier for a one-mana instant, reflecting consistent demand across multiple formats. It's a staple in Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief decks specifically, and that 58% inclusion rate keeps a floor under the price.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.