Vedalken Shackles
Artifact
You may choose not to untap this artifact during your untap step.
, 
: Gain control of target creature with power less than or equal to the number of Islands you control for as long as this artifact remains tapped.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Fifth Dawn
- Price
- $6.78
- EDHREC rank
- #11362
Vedalken Shackles steals any creature with power less than or equal to your Island count — repeatedly, at instant speed, for as long as it stays on the board. Gogo, Master of Mimicry turns every stolen creature into a copy template, which makes Shackles less a tempo play and more a recursive engine.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Gogo, Master of Mimicry
Gogo, Master of Mimicry wants to copy the best creature in play, and Vedalken Shackles hands over the opponent's best creature on demand — stack enough Islands and you're stealing and cloning whatever wins the table.
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, Vedalken Shackles is a repeatable removal spell that doubles as theft, which is exactly the kind of card that warrants a removal answer before its controller untaps. Legacy and Vintage have faster, more deterministic lines, so Shackles sees fringe play there — it's too slow to be a staple but punishing enough to appear in tempo and control shells that can protect it. Modern is the sweet spot for competitive constructed: blue-based midrange and control decks can reliably hit the Island count needed to dominate the mid-to-late board, and the card has seen play in those shells historically. Pioneer and Standard don't have access to it, and Pauper's commons restriction rules it out entirely.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Freed from the Real and Act of Treason effects are too narrow to fill the role; the closest budget stand-in is Blatant Thievery at roughly $1, which steals permanently but costs seven mana and hits only once. Control Magic variants like Lay Claim or Ray of Command get there for even less, though none of them match Vedalken Shackles' repeatability — you're trading an engine for a one-time answer.
Price Context
Current price
$6.78 mid tier
At $6.78, Vedalken Shackles sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate inclusion, cheap enough to justify it in any serious blue build. Demand is stable given its Commander and Legacy crossover appeal, so this is a card that earns its slot rather than one you're buying on spec.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.