Whiplash Trap
Instant — Trap
If an opponent had two or more creatures enter the battlefield under their control this turn, you may pay 
rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Return two target creatures to their owners' hands.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Zendikar
- Price
- $0.14
- EDHREC rank
- #15484
Whiplash Trap bounces two creatures for zero mana whenever an opponent played a creature this turn — and in Commander, someone almost always did. It's narrow enough that it doesn't belong in every blue deck, but in token-heavy or creature-flood metas it's a legitimate two-for-one at instant speed for free.
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, Whiplash Trap is at its best — three opponents means the trap condition triggers constantly, and free interaction at instant speed is exactly what blue tempo and control shells want. In Pauper it's legal and sees fringe play, mostly as a sideboard hedge against creature-heavy aggro, though the condition is less reliable in one-on-one games where your opponent can simply choose not to play a creature on the turn you want it free. Legacy and Vintage have better cheap bounce options, so Whiplash Trap doesn't compete there. It's simply not legal in Standard or Pioneer.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.14 bulk tier
At $0.14, Whiplash Trap is deep bulk — the kind of card you pick up by the playset out of a commons box without thinking about it. That price is stable; there's no pressure pushing it up, and no reason to expect it to drop further.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.