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Tale's End

Instant

Counter target activated ability, triggered ability, or legendary spell.

CMC
2
Mana cost
{1}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
rare
Set
Core Set 2020 Promos
Price
$2.68
EDHREC rank
#4671
Buy on TCGplayer
Tale's End card art
Tale's End is a two-mana counterspell that stops legendary spells, planeswalkers, and activated or triggered abilities on the stack — coverage that no other single blue two-drop matches. Imprinted on Isochron Scepter or discounted by Baral, Chief of Compliance, it becomes a recurring answer to some of the most powerful things in Commander.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Baral, Chief of Compliance

Baral, Chief of Compliance

43.9% of decks · synergy 0.41

Baral, Chief of Compliance turns Tale's End into a one-mana counterspell that replaces itself on any successful counter, letting you chain interaction and loot away dead cards while locking down the most threatening activations and triggers at the table.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

In Commander, Tale's End does work that Counterspell flat-out can't — it stops commander casts, planeswalker ultimates, and Thassa's Oracle triggers, which are exactly the vectors that end games at high-power tables. In Modern and Pioneer, the legendary clause matters less, but stopping Planeswalker activations or triggered abilities from Aether Vial and similar permanents gives it a niche in reactive builds. Legacy is too fast for a conditional two-mana answer to see real play, and Vintage has harder counters doing the same job cheaper. Commander is where Tale's End earns its slot.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$2.68 cheap tier

At $2.68, Tale's End sits firmly in the cheap tier — easy to pick up without budget deliberation. The price is stable given that nothing in a higher rarity does exactly what it does, and Commander demand for niche counterspells keeps floor prices from eroding.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.