Take Up the Shield
Instant
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. It gains lifelink and indestructible until end of turn. (Damage and effects that say "destroy" don't destroy it.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Foundations Jumpstart
- Price
- $0.28
- EDHREC rank
- #3953
Take Up the Shield permanently pumps a creature with a +1/+1 counter and grants indestructible until end of turn for a single white mana — that combination of lasting board presence and instant-speed protection is the whole pitch. It shines brightest where the indestructible clause does double duty, like pairing it with Boros Reckoner to survive a damage ping, but Zethi, Arcane Blademaster decks running it in over half their lists is the clearest endorsement of its efficiency.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Zethi, Arcane Blademaster
Zethi, Arcane Blademaster imprints instants onto swords and replays them whenever she attacks, so Take Up the Shield gets cast over and over — stacking +1/+1 counters on your best attacker while keeping Zethi herself indestructible through blocks.
Feather, the Redeemed
Feather, the Redeemed returns instants that target your own creatures to hand, meaning Take Up the Shield costs one white mana the first time and effectively zero card equity every time after — it's a looping counter engine and protection spell in one.
Sergeant John Benton
Sergeant John Benton rewards you for attacking with creatures that have +1/+1 counters on them, so Take Up the Shield pulls double duty by adding a counter before combat and shielding the swinging creature from a chump-block kill.
Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon
Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon generates Gnome tokens scaled to how many nontoken creatures attack, and Take Up the Shield lets you crash in with your whole board safely — the indestructible clause protects Anim herself while the counter pushes her attack trigger higher.
Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar
Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar cares about putting +1/+1 counters on creatures during combat, and Take Up the Shield is one of the cheapest instants that delivers exactly that while also keeping a key creature alive through a trade.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Take Up the Shield is legal across every major format but sees its most meaningful play in Commander, where the recurring synergy with Feather, the Redeemed and Zethi, Arcane Blademaster makes a one-mana instant worth a deck slot. In competitive 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer it's too narrow — protection spells need to do more than grant indestructible for a turn when Slip Out the Back and Tyvar's Stand exist at comparable cost with better upsides. Pauper is where it could theoretically carve a niche as a budget combat trick that leaves behind a counter, though the format's tempo demands still make it a fringe consideration. In Legacy and Vintage it simply doesn't register.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Boros ReckonerTake Up the Shield
Infinite lifegain triggers; Infinite lifegain
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.28 bulk tier
At $0.28, Take Up the Shield is deep bulk — you're paying almost nothing for a card that overperforms its price tag in the right commander shells. Bulk rares and commons this cheap rarely spike, so there's no financial urgency either way; just pick up a copy whenever you need one.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.