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Cryptic Command

Cryptic Command

Instant

rare

Choose two — • Counter target spell. • Return target permanent to its owner's hand. • Tap all creatures your opponents control. • Draw a card.

$3.33 ✦ $6.96View on Scryfall →

Semantic Tags

Cantripmechanical

A spell that replaces itself by drawing a card as part of its resolution.

Cantripvector

A spell that replaces itself by drawing a card as part of its resolution.

Card Drawmechanical

Puts additional cards into your hand. Includes direct draw, 'look/reveal and put into hand' effects, and conditional draw triggers.

Counterspellmechanical

Prevents a spell or ability from resolving.

Cards that directly win the game or threaten to end it quickly. Includes 'you win the game' effects and massive threats.

Removalmechanical

Answers an opponent's threat by destroying, exiling, bouncing, or otherwise removing a permanent or spell.

Removalvector

Answers an opponent's threat by destroying, exiling, bouncing, or otherwise removing a permanent or spell.

Wardvector

A triggered ability that can counter spells or abilities that target the permanent with ward. See rule 702.21, “Ward.”

Wheelsvector

Makes all players discard their hand and draw a new one. Named after Wheel of Fortune.

Format Legality

commanderlegal
oathbreakerlegal
modernlegal
pioneernot legal
standardnot legal
legacylegal
vintagelegal
paupernot legal
historiclegal
explorernot legal
alchemynot legal

Price history

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Printings (12)

Related Rules

111.10m

A Royal Role token is a colorless Aura Role enchantment token named Royal with enchant creature and “Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has ward {1}.”

206.3b

One card (Golgothian Sylex) refers to permanents with a name originally printed in the Antiquities™ expansion. Those names are Amulet of Kroog, Argivian Archaeologist, Argivian Blacksmith, Argothian Pixies, Argothian Treefolk, Armageddon Clock, Artifact Blast, Artifact Possession, Artifact Ward, Ashnod’s Altar, Ashnod’s Battle Gear, Ashnod’s Transmogrant, Atog, Battering Ram, Bronze Tablet, Candelabra of Tawnos, Circle of Protection: Artifacts, Citanul Druid, Clay Statue, Clockwork Avian, Colossus of Sardia, Coral Helm, Crumble, Cursed Rack, Damping Field, Detonate, Drafna’s Restoration, Dragon Engine, Dwarven Weaponsmith, Energy Flux, Feldon’s Cane, Gaea’s Avenger, Gate to Phyrexia, Goblin Artisans, Golgothian Sylex, Grapeshot Catapult, Haunting Wind, Hurkyl’s Recall, Ivory Tower, Jalum Tome, Martyrs of Korlis, Mightstone, Millstone, Mishra’s Factory, Mishra’s War Machine, Mishra’s Workshop, Obelisk of Undoing, Onulet, Orcish Mechanics, Ornithopter, Phyrexian Gremlins, Power Artifact, Powerleech, Priest of Yawgmoth, Primal Clay, The Rack, Rakalite, Reconstruction, Reverse Polarity, Rocket Launcher, Sage of Lat-Nam, Shapeshifter, Shatterstorm, Staff of Zegon, Strip Mine, Su-Chi, Tablet of Epityr, Tawnos’s Coffin, Tawnos’s Wand, Tawnos’s Weaponry, Tetravus, Titania’s Song, Transmute Artifact, Triskelion, Urza’s Avenger, Urza’s Chalice, Urza’s Mine, Urza’s Miter, Urza’s Power Plant, Urza’s Tower, Wall of Spears, Weakstone, Xenic Poltergeist, Yawgmoth Demon, and Yotian Soldier.

701.58a

To cloak a card, turn it face down. It becomes a 2/2 face-down creature card with ward {2}, no name, no subtypes, and no mana cost. Put that card onto the battlefield face down. That permanent is a cloaked permanent for as long as it remains face down. The effect defining its characteristics works while the card is face down and ends when it’s turned face up.

702.21

Ward

702.21a

Ward is a triggered ability. Ward [cost] means “Whenever this permanent becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter that spell or ability unless that player pays [cost].”

702.21b

Some ward abilities include an X in their cost and state what X is equal to. This value is determined at the time the ability resolves, not locked in as the ability triggers.

702.168a

Disguise is a static ability that functions in any zone from which you could play the card it’s on, and the disguise effect works any time the card is face down. “Disguise [cost]” means “You may cast this card as a 2/2 face-down creature with ward {2}, no name, no subtypes, and no mana cost by paying {3} rather than paying its mana cost.” (See rule 708, “Face-Down Spells and Permanents.”)

702.168b

To cast a card using its disguise ability, turn the card face down and announce that you are using a disguise ability. It becomes a 2/2 face-down creature card with ward {2}, no name, no subtypes, and no mana cost. Any effects or prohibitions that would apply to casting a card with these characteristics (and not the face-up card’s characteristics) are applied to casting this card. These values are the copiable values of that object’s characteristics. (See rule 613, “Interaction of Continuous Effects,” and rule 707, “Copying Objects.”) Put it onto the stack (as a face-down spell with the same characteristics), and pay {3} rather than pay its mana cost. This follows the rules for paying alternative costs. You can use a disguise ability to cast a card from any zone from which you could normally cast it. When the spell resolves, it enters the battlefield with the same characteristics the spell had. The disguise effect applies to the face-down object wherever it is, and it ends when the permanent is turned face up.

Rulings

2017-11-17

You choose both modes as you cast Cryptic Command. You must choose two different modes.

2017-11-17

Look at both chosen modes to determine how many targets Cryptic Command has, if any. If it has at least one target, and all its targets are illegal when it tries to resolve, then it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. For example, if you choose the second and fourth modes, and the permanent is an illegal target when Cryptic Command tries to resolve, you won’t draw a card.