Statute of Denial
Instant
Counter target spell. If you control a blue creature, draw a card, then discard a card.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Magic 2015
- Price
- $0.09
- EDHREC rank
- #23755
Statute of Denial counters a spell and replaces itself with a card draw — the baseline ask for any counterspell seeing real play. The catch is the four-mana cost, which price it out of most competitive shells but makes it a perfectly serviceable inclusion in casual Commander lists that need cheap slots filled.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Statute of Denial occupies the low end of the acceptable counterspell tier — four mana is a lot to leave up, but the cantrip effect means you're never fully punished for holding it. In Pauper, where the counterspell pool is restricted to commons, it competes directly with Exclude and similar draw-attached counters, and the competition is stiff enough that it rarely makes cuts. Legacy, Vintage, and Modern all have access to far more efficient options at one and two mana, so Statute of Denial is effectively invisible in those formats despite being legal.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.09 bulk tier
At $0.09, Statute of Denial is deep bulk — you're picking this out of a dollar box or a bulk lot, not tracking it down deliberately. Price stability is essentially guaranteed since there's no competitive demand to move it, but that also means it holds no meaningful value as a trade card.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.