Volrath's Curse
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can't attack or block, and its activated abilities can't be activated. That creature's controller may sacrifice a permanent of their choice for that player to ignore this effect until end of turn.
: Return this Aura to its owner's hand.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Tempest
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #24462
Volrath's Curse locks down a creature by taxing its controller two mana every time they want to activate its abilities, and bounces back to your hand the moment the enchanted creature deals damage — making it a reusable soft-lock rather than a one-shot answer. It's a niche tool that belongs in dedicated tap-down or stax builds, not general removal slots.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Volrath's Curse occupies a narrow stax role — it's best against commanders or utility creatures whose activated abilities are the threat, and the self-bouncing clause means a single combat step doesn't end its usefulness. Outside that niche it underperforms hard removal badly, since three mana to temporarily inconvenience a creature is a poor rate at the average power level. In Legacy and Vintage it's a historical curiosity with no competitive application; the formats move too fast for a three-mana aura that leaves the creature alive. Pauper is its most credible home given the format's slower clock and reliance on creatures with activated abilities like Trinket Mage lines, though even there better options exist.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
At $0.20, Volrath's Curse is firmly bulk — you're paying for cardboard and nothing more. It won't hold or gain value, but that also means there's no reason to hesitate if the stax build calls for it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.