Uncle Istvan
Creature — Human
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to this creature by creatures.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Fourth Edition
- Price
- $0.30
- EDHREC rank
- #23729
Uncle Istvan is immune to all damage from creatures, making it nearly unkillable in combat for the low price of four mana. The effect is real, but a 1/3 body that does nothing but survive blocks is not a card most competitive decks want.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Uncle Istvan occupies a narrow niche — pillowfort and group slug decks occasionally want a persistent, frustrating blocker that eats attacks without dying, and Uncle Istvan delivers exactly that. Elsewhere, the case collapses fast: Legacy, Vintage, and Modern all offer far more efficient threats and answers, and a four-mana 1/3 with a defensive ability draws no interest in those environments. Oathbreaker shares Commander's casual range, so the same pillowfort logic applies at a smaller scale. The card is legal in a lot of formats and genuinely playable in almost none of them.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.30 bulk tier
At $0.30, Uncle Istvan is deep bulk — a card you pick out of a dollar bin rather than order specifically. That price is stable by default: there's no demand engine to push it up, and it's not so iconic that it commands a nostalgia premium.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.