Telekinesis
Instant
Tap target creature. Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by that creature this turn. It doesn't untap during its controller's next two untap steps.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Legends
- Price
- $33.86
- EDHREC rank
- #28241
Telekinesis taps a creature and keeps it tapped for two consecutive untap steps — effectively removing it from two full turns of combat or blocking for two mana. That rate is exceptional, and in blue decks that want to stall, protect a combo, or push through for lethal, it earns its slot.
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, Telekinesis fills a specific niche: two-mana interaction that neutralizes a single threat across two full turns, buying exactly the window a combo deck or tempo deck needs to close. Legacy and Vintage have access to it but rarely want it — those formats move too fast for a sorcery-speed tap effect to matter, and better disruption exists. Pauper is where Telekinesis shows up most outside EDH, slowing down aggressive creatures in a format where two mana for two turns of lockdown is a real tempo swing. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander case: if your planeswalker needs two clean turns to ultimate, Telekinesis can manufacture them.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Encrust and Narcolepsy both pin a creature down for a sustained period at one or two mana, trading Telekinesis's temporary-but-instant-style pressure for a permanent enchantment that can be removed. Ice Cage is a true zero-cost lock in the right meta but breaks the moment the opponent targets the creature — Telekinesis asks no such conditions and hits anything regardless of abilities.
Price Context
Current price
$33.86 premium tier
At $33.86, Telekinesis sits firmly in the premium tier — expensive for a single-target tap effect, even one this efficient. The price reflects age and limited supply rather than format demand, so it holds value slowly; don't expect it to spike, but don't expect it to crash either unless a reprint appears.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.