Vines of Vastwood
Instant
Kicker 
(You may pay an additional as you cast this spell.)
Target creature can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control this turn. If this spell was kicked, that creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Zendikar
- Price
- $1.30
- EDHREC rank
- #3943
Vines of Vastwood is a one-mana instant that counters all spells and abilities targeting your creature until end of turn, then optionally pumps it +4/+4 for one more green — protection and a combat threat in a single card slot. Sergeant John Benton decks run it because keeping Benton alive through removal is the whole game plan, and a one-mana response that also closes games if kicked is exactly the kind of efficiency those decks want.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Sergeant John Benton
Sergeant John Benton lives and dies by staying on the battlefield, and Vines of Vastwood is one of the cleanest ways to blank a removal spell while threatening lethal — the kicker means you're not just saving Benton, you're ending the game on the same turn.
The Howling Abomination
The Howling Abomination rewards you for casting spells opponents can't interact with, and Vines of Vastwood's first mode stops targeted removal cold before the second mode turns the Abomination into a one-shot threat.
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds is the engine the deck runs on, so protecting her with Vines of Vastwood is protecting every subsequent mana float and draw trigger — the pump is almost irrelevant here because the real value is keeping Selvala alive through the kill spell.
Xyris, the Writhing Storm
Xyris, the Writhing Storm draws opponents into snakes, and Vines of Vastwood stops a bounce or exile effect that would reset the whole engine mid-combat — the kicker also makes Xyris a one-shot commander-damage threat for a single extra green.
Shroofus Sproutsire
Shroofus Sproutsire wants to stay in play and keep generating value, so Vines of Vastwood does double duty: it protects the engine from targeted removal and the +4/+4 kicker turns an otherwise modest attacker into something opponents have to respect.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Vines of Vastwood is a role-player in any Voltron or creature-combo build that needs cheap, reactive protection — the kicked mode is a legitimate closer when your commander is already swinging for lethal. In Pauper it sees real play as a protection spell in Bogles-style strategies, where it counters both spells and abilities, covering enchantment-based removal that hexproof alone can't dodge. In Legacy and Vintage it's outclassed by Autumn's Veil and Veil of Summer in most situations, but the ability-countering clause keeps it relevant against activated abilities those alternatives miss. Modern has better options at the same cost, so Vines of Vastwood only shows up in dedicated aura or Infect lists where the pump clause generates legitimate kills.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.30 cheap tier
At $1.30, Vines of Vastwood sits in the easy-include tier — cheap enough that budget is never the reason to leave it out. The price is stable for a common with consistent demand across Pauper and Commander, so there's no urgency to buy in bulk but also no realistic downside to picking up copies now.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.