Stifle
Instant
Counter target activated or triggered ability. (Mana abilities can't be targeted.)
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Judge Gift Cards 2009
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #4623
Stifle counters any triggered or activated ability for a single blue mana — fetchland cracks, Xanathar, Guild Kingpin's triggered lockout, Isochron Scepter activations, anything on the stack that isn't a spell. The card is narrow by design, and that narrowness is exactly the point: one mana to erase a game-defining ability is one of the most efficient answers in blue.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy

Xanathar, Guild Kingpin
Xanathar, Guild Kingpin's triggered ability locks opponents out of casting spells for a turn — and Stifle can counter that same trigger if an opponent resolves Xanathar against you, making it both a tool in the deck and a hate piece against the mirror.

Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath has a mandatory sacrifice trigger the first time it enters; Stifle counters that trigger, letting Uro stay on the battlefield permanently without needing to escape first.
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 |
In Legacy, Stifle is a staple — pairing it with Wasteland to strand opponents on one land while denying the fetchland's ability is a well-established tempo line. Vintage allows it as well, where stifling a Moxen activation or a fast combo trigger is plausible but less central than in Legacy. Commander is where the calculus shifts: one target among four players means Stifle is situational, but the format's reliance on powerful triggered abilities — landfall, aristocrats engines, extra-turn spells, combat triggers — gives it real utility in reactive or control shells. It doesn't belong in every blue Commander deck, but any deck that expects to police the table's most dangerous triggers will find it punches well above its mana cost.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card




Isochron ScepterLithoform EngineStifleFinal Fortune
Infinite turns; Lock
View on Commander Spellbook ↗



Tawnos, Urza's ApprenticeIsochron ScepterStifleFinal Fortune
Infinite turns; Lock
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Current pricing data isn't available for Stifle at time of writing, so check Scryfall or your preferred retailer for a live number. Historically it has carried a meaningful price tag given Legacy demand, so budget builds may want to confirm whether the current market has softened before picking copies up.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.