Tibalt, Rakish Instigator
Legendary Planeswalker — Tibalt
Your opponents can't gain life.
−2: Create a 1/1 red Devil creature token with "When this token dies, it deals 1 damage to any target."
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Magic Online Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #10542
Tibalt, Rakish Instigator shuts off all life gain across the table the moment he lands — a three-mana planeswalker that answers Soul Sisters, Aetherflux Reservoir, and Oloro decks without spending a removal slot. The static ability is the whole reason to play him; the minus is gravy.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Zurzoth, Chaos Rider
Zurzoth, Chaos Rider triggers whenever an opponent draws their first card each turn, and Tibalt, Rakish Instigator pairs with that engine by keeping opponents from stabilizing through life gain while the devil tokens accumulate — 41% of Zurzoth decks run him for exactly this reason.
Raphael, Fiendish Savior
Raphael, Fiendish Savior builds around a critical mass of devils, demons, and vampires, and Tibalt, Rakish Instigator slots in as both a tribal body and a hate piece that stops opponents from racing back through life gain once Raphael's aggressive board is established.
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 |
Commander is where Tibalt, Rakish Instigator earns his keep — the life gain hate is a free tax against a meaningful slice of the table in almost every pod, and three mana is a low enough investment that he rarely feels like a wasted slot even when the effect is irrelevant. In competitive 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer he's too slow and too narrow; dedicated hate pieces like Leyline of Punishment do the same job more efficiently and earlier. Legacy and Vintage have better options in nearly every case. Oathbreaker is the one outlier where he occasionally sees play as the signature spell's companion rather than a main piece.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Current pricing data isn't available for Tibalt, Rakish Instigator, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for a live number before buying. Given his niche role as a three-mana hate piece in Commander, he's historically hovered in budget territory — worth picking up if the life gain hate is relevant in your meta.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Zurzoth, Chaos Rider
- Raphael, Fiendish Savior
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.