Somnophore
Creature — Illusion
Flying
Whenever this creature deals damage to a player, tap target creature that player controls. That creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step for as long as this creature remains on the battlefield.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Urza's Saga
- Price
- $0.51
- EDHREC rank
- #24991
Somnophore taps a creature every time it deals combat damage to a player — and that creature stays tapped until Somnophore leaves the battlefield, not just until end of turn. Four mana for a 2/2 flier is a real cost, but the lock-out effect compounds fast enough in the air that the stat line stops mattering.
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 |
Somnophore is a Commander card through and through — the incremental tap effect needs multiple combat steps across several turns to pay off, and multiplayer tables give it exactly that runway. In Legacy and Vintage it's a 2/2 for four that dies to nearly every removal spell before it locks anything meaningful, so it never sees play there. Commander is the only format where Somnophore finds a home, specifically in evasion-heavy blue decks that can protect it long enough to strand two or three blockers permanently.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.51 bulk tier
At $0.51, Somnophore is deep bulk — a card you pick up without thinking about the price. That tier is likely to hold; there's no competitive demand pulling it up, and its niche Commander appeal isn't wide enough to spike it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.