Tentative Connection
Sorcery
This spell costs 
less to cast if you control a creature with menace.
Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #15935
Tentative Connection gives you a creature and draws you a card for three mana at instant speed — that's a clean two-for-one that replaces itself while stealing a blocker or attacker. It's a role-player in blue tempo and theft strategies, not a powerhouse, but it does exactly what it says on the tin.
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 |
In Commander, Tentative Connection is a niche include in blue theft decks or tempo builds that need cheap interaction with a cantrip stapled on — three mana at instant speed is the ceiling for competitive viability, and the single-turn limitation keeps it out of staple territory. Pauper is where it earns real consideration, since common-legal instant-speed tempo plays that replace themselves are rare and the card advantage matters more in a singleton-free format. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer, the competition from more powerful tempo spells is too steep for Tentative Connection to see serious play. Vintage is the same story — the effect isn't broken enough to matter in a format defined by broken cards.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Tentative Connection is deep bulk — you're picking it out of a commons box, not a singles order. That price is stable because demand is narrow; it won't spike unless a theft-matters commander pushes it into widespread Commander play.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.