Tower Defense
Instant
Creatures you control get +0/+5 and gain reach until end of turn.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Ravnica Allegiance
- Price
- $0.28
- EDHREC rank
- #2948
Tower Defense gives your entire team +0/+5 and reach until end of turn for two mana — in a toughness-matters deck, that's a one-sided board pump that can swing combat completely out of nowhere. Tadeas, Juniper Ascendant decks treat it as a finisher, not a trick.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Tadeas, Juniper Ascendant
Tadeas, Juniper Ascendant rewards high-toughness creatures with free mana, and Tower Defense's +0/+5 anthem turns a board of walls into an alpha strike that opponents rarely see coming.
Felothar the Steadfast
Felothar the Steadfast builds around creatures that can block and survive, so Tower Defense pulling double duty as a combat trick and a near-lethal pump spell fits the gameplan cleanly.
Arcades, the Strategist
Arcades, the Strategist makes creatures deal damage equal to toughness, so Tower Defense isn't just protection — it's a surprise damage multiplier that can end the game on a turn opponents thought they were safe.
Doran, the Siege Tower
Doran, the Siege Tower already turns every creature's toughness into its attack stat, and Tower Defense stacks directly on top of that, turning a modest board into a lethal one for two mana.
The Pride of Hull Clade
The Pride of Hull Clade grows creatures by distributing +1/+1 counters equal to toughness, so Tower Defense's bulk toughness boost compounds into a permanent size upgrade — the synergy is multiplicative, not additive.
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 |
Tower Defense is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but its home is Commander. In 60-card formats the card is too narrow — it does nothing unless you're already in a toughness-matters shell, and those shells are fringe at best in competitive Modern or Pioneer. In Commander, the calculus flips: Arcades, the Strategist, Doran, the Siege Tower, and Tadeas, Juniper Ascendant all give Tower Defense a clear role, and the instant speed makes it a credible combat blowout in multiplayer pods where nobody expects it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.28 bulk tier
At $0.28, Tower Defense is bulk — pick it up without thinking about it if you're building any toughness-matters Commander deck. Bulk commons and uncommons at this price point don't move much, so there's no reason to wait or stock up speculatively; just grab a copy when you need it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Tadeas, Juniper Ascendant
- Felothar the Steadfast
- Arcades, the Strategist
- Doran, the Siege Tower
- The Pride of Hull Clade
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.