Stymied Hopes
Instant
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 
. Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Theros
- Price
- $0.07
- EDHREC rank
- #22572
Stymied Hopes counters a spell only if its controller can't pay one mana — a condition opponents will almost always meet by the time counterspells matter. At two mana for an effect weaker than Cancel, it belongs in bulk binders, not decks.
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 |
Stymied Hopes is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but legal doesn't mean playable. In Commander, the tax is trivially paid at any point in the game; you're spending two mana to maybe counter something, which is not a trade any blue deck should accept. Pauper is the one format where budget constraints are real, but even there Counterspell is common and costs roughly the same. Everywhere else, the card simply doesn't compete with the available options.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.07 bulk tier
At $0.07, Stymied Hopes is deep bulk — the price reflects exactly what it's worth. It won't appreciate; there's no context in which demand spikes for a conditional two-mana counterspell with a loophole this large.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.