Tar Snare
Instant
Target creature gets -3/-2 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The List
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #29003
Tar Snare gives a creature -2/-3 until end of turn for three mana at instant speed — functional removal, but barely. Better spells exist at every point on the curve, and in any format with access to Fatal Push, Go for the Throat, or Path to Exile, Tar Snare belongs in the bulk bin.
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 |
Tar Snare is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but legal and playable are different things. In Commander, three mana for a non-permanent -2/-3 is a poor rate — you're trading a card and three mana to temporarily shrink something that will untap next turn, and at a table with three opponents, tempo losses compound fast. Pauper is the one format where Tar Snare sees any legitimate discussion, since the card pool is constrained and instant-speed toughness reduction can trade with aggressive creatures — but even there it sits behind Chainer's Edict and Victim of Night. In every other format, the competition renders it unplayable.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data isn't available for Tar Snare at the moment, but as a bulk common with no competitive applications, it reliably sits at or near $0.01 in most marketplaces. There is no window here — it's not a card you need to pick up at any price.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.