Veil of Summer
Instant
Draw a card if an opponent has cast a blue or black spell this turn. Spells you control can't be countered this turn. You and permanents you control gain hexproof from blue and from black until end of turn. (You and they can't be the targets of blue or black spells or abilities your opponents control.)
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Secret Lair Drop
- Price
- $16.96
- EDHREC rank
- #559
Veil of Summer is a one-mana counter-a-counterspell that also draws a card and blankets your board in hexproof for the turn — the effect-to-cost ratio is obscene. It's so dominant in green combo that Thrasios, Triton Hero // Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful runs it in over 60% of decks, and that number tells you everything.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | banned |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Veil of Summer is legal in Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Commander, but banned in Pioneer — where it was pulling too much weight protecting aggressive combo lines with no meaningful downside. The restriction is that it only counters blue or black spells, which sounds limiting until you realize that in competitive Commander, blue and black represent the overwhelming majority of interaction you actually fear. Four players at the table means at least one opponent is almost certainly running a Counterspell or Thoughtseize equivalent, and Veil of Summer turns that window into a draw spell.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Thrasios, Triton Hero // Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful
Thrasios, Triton Hero // Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful is a cEDH staple that wins through a deterministic combo on a critical turn, and Veil of Summer is the one-mana insurance policy that keeps blue interaction from dismantling that turn.
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools // Thrasios, Triton Hero
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools // Thrasios, Triton Hero occupies the same cEDH tier — high-value combo payoff, high blue-heavy opposition — and Veil of Summer does the same job here at a 63% inclusion rate.
Etali, Primal Conqueror
Etali, Primal Conqueror is an expensive threat that opponents are desperate to counter or remove before it connects, and Veil of Summer converts that single moment of protection into a free card on the way through.
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy wins by ramping into a combo and activating it in one burst, and Veil of Summer covers that activation against the blue or black interaction that shows up to stop it.
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard telegraphs its tutor activations a turn ahead, making it a removal magnet, and Veil of Summer gives it a clean pass through the most common answers at the cost of one green mana.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Nothing fully replaces Veil of Summer's combination of counterspell protection, hexproof, and card draw on one mana, but Autumn's Veil covers the counter-a-counterspell half at a fraction of the cost without the draw rider. If the priority is protecting a creature rather than a spell, Sylvan Safekeeper costs almost nothing and is harder to interact with, though it converts to a mana sink rather than a reactive instant.
Price Context
Current price
$16.96 mid tier
At $16.96, Veil of Summer sits in the mid tier — expensive for a one-mana spell, but not unreasonable given it sees genuine play in Legacy and Modern in addition to Commander. It's a staple rather than a spike, so the price is stable rather than volatile; you're buying access to the effect, not chasing a bubble.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Thrasios, Triton Hero // Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful
- Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools // Thrasios, Triton Hero
- Etali, Primal Conqueror
- Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
- Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.