Test of Talents
Instant
Counter target instant or sorcery spell. Search its controller's graveyard, hand, and library for any number of cards with the same name as that spell and exile them. That player shuffles, then draws a card for each card exiled from their hand this way.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Strixhaven: School of Mages
- Price
- $0.30
- EDHREC rank
- #17739
Test of Talents counters a spell and then exiles every other copy of it from hand, graveyard, and library — a single UU investment that can strand an entire combo line. It's the right call in any blue shell that needs both a counterspell and permanent disruption in one card.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Test of Talents earns its slot specifically against spell-based combos — counter a Thassa's Oracle or an Ad Nauseam and exile the redundant copies before they can be recast or tutored back. Outside of singleton, the card scales even harder: in Legacy and Modern, hitting a key piece and stripping the rest of the copies from the deck can end a game outright. Pioneer sees it as sideboard material against Lotus Field and combo-heavy blue mirrors. Vintage is the one format where Test of Talents loses ground — the density of broken one-ofs means the exile clause rarely fires, and harder counters are plentiful.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.30 bulk tier
At $0.30, Test of Talents is bulk, and the price reflects its narrow role rather than its power level. It holds that floor reliably — there's no reason for it to spike unless a dominant spell-based combo emerges in a widely-played format.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.