Subdue
Instant
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by target creature this turn. That creature gets +0/+X until end of turn, where X is its mana value.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Legends
- Price
- $0.43
- EDHREC rank
- #30276
Subdue taps a target creature and prevents it from untapping during its controller's next untap step — a full turn of removal-lite that costs one blue mana at instant speed. For a single pip, that's a clean answer to a combat threat or a combo piece that needs to tap to function.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Subdue is a cheap tempo play that buys a full rotation around the table before the locked creature becomes a problem again — useful for stalling a commander that attacks or activates by tapping. In Pauper, one-mana instant-speed tap effects have real competitive standing, and Subdue competes with Feeling of Dread and Icy Manipulator effects depending on the shell. Legacy and Vintage are too fast for a card that doesn't permanently answer a threat, so Subdue rarely makes the cut there. Oathbreaker shares Commander's multiplayer tempo logic, and the effect plays similarly well in that format.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.43 bulk tier
At $0.43, Subdue is firmly bulk — the kind of card you pick up as an afterthought in a trade binder. Bulk tap effects rarely climb in price unless they slot into a format-defining combo, and nothing currently points that direction for Subdue.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.