Cryptic Command

Instant

Choose two —

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

Combos

• Cryptic Command + Snapcaster Mage
• Cryptic Command + Eternal Witness
• Cryptic Command + Mystic Sanctuary

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (45)

DemonDragonJ on Utopian Prosperity

1 month ago

I have replaced Cryptic Command *list*, Plasm Capture, and Render Silent with Brokers Charm, Disallow, and Pledge of Unity, which reduced this deck's average converted mana cost from 3.63 to 3.60, because I believe that they newer cards are a better match for the theme of this deck; I almost chose Archmage's Charm instead of Disallow, but that card's mana cost is too strict, so I chose the other card, instead.

NV_1980 on Tapped Out

1 month ago

This looks like fun :)

Some ideas (based on my Hylda deck) that could prove useful:

1. Bond of Discipline: taps all your opponents' stuff (thereby making Rhoda significantly stronger/tougher immediately, depending a bit on how much is on your opponents' sides of the battlefield) AND grants all your attackers lifelink.
2. Borrowing 100,000 Arrows: if we're tapping this much stuff, why not benefit from that in other ways?
3. Cone of Cold: another very powerful tapping spell; potentially lethal when timed right.
4. Cryptic Command *list*: again, taps all your opponents' stuff and allows for some other benefits as well.
5. Hands of Binding/Hidden Strings: imprint one of these on Rhoda and watch him grow.

Have fun with the deck!

DemonDragonJ on Should I Keep These Cards …

4 months ago

I have copies of Primal Command in several of my EDH decks, as it is an excellent card (in my mind, it is the second-best of the original five commands, after Cryptic Command *list*), but I am contemplating replacing those copies with other cards. First, in my Jenara, Asura of War deck, I am considering replacing Primal Command with Blossoming Bogbeast, since that deck has a strong focus on gaining life; in the other decks in which I have copies of Primal Command, I am considering replacing it with Shared Summons, since the newer card is an instant, rather than a sorcery, and searching for creatures is the mode that I use most frequently, anyway, so I certainly would appreciate any feedback, about that.

Also, I have copies of Grand Arbiter Augustin IV in these three EDH decks, and I shall certainly keep him in my Sen Triplets deck, since that is a dedicated control deck, but I am not certain about my Jenara, Asura of War deck or my Numot, the Devastator deck; I am considering replacing Augustin with Forgotten Ancient in my Jenara deck, since +1/+1 counters are the other major theme of that deck, and, while I do not wish for that deck to be too limited in what it can do, I also wish for it to be consistent and efficient. My Numot deck is essentially a jack-of-all-trades deck, so, perhaps, Augustin is not too unusual for it.

What does everyone else here say about this? Should I keep those cards in those decks, or should I replace them?

DemonDragonJ on Which Card Should Replace Plasm …

8 months ago

I have a copy of Plasm Capture in this EDH deck, here, but I plan to replace it, with another card, since its mana cost is too strict, and I am considering one of the following cards: Cryptic Command *list*, Countermand, Dismal Failure, or Dismiss; among those cards, Cryptic Command *list* is the most versatile, but it also has the strictest casting cost; Dismiss is simply a poor substitute for Cryptic Command *list*; Countermand is redundant with Psychic Strike and Thought Collapse; and Dismal Failure is quite nice, but it is also rather expensive for its effect. Also, I could forsake a counterspell and instead put Eureka Moment in this deck, although Gretchen Titchwillow has an ability that is essentially a repeatable version of that spell.

Therefore, I would like to ask everyone here for advice about this matter: which card should replace Plasm Capture in this deck?

Rhadamanthus on what is modal?

1 year ago

A modal spell is a spell with an effect that says "Choose [some number] - [list of choices]" where you make the modal choices as you cast it. Spells like Simic Charm or Cryptic Command are modal spells. Aether Channeler has a triggered ability with a modal effect, but Aether Channeler itself as a spell is not modal because you don't make any modal choices as you cast it. Similarly, Umezawa's Jitte has an activated ability with a modal effect but the Jitte itself is not a modal spell and Jace, the Mind Sculptor has a bunch of different activated abilities but doesn't have anything modal about it.

wallisface on Dimir control modern

1 year ago

Mana cost-effectiveness is super important, and the difference between a 2-mana counterspell and a 3-mana one is astronomical. The only reason Archmage's Charm and Cryptic Command see any play is because they can do powerful effects instead-of/in-addition-to the countering… but no other counterspells above 2 mana are ever worth running.

Countering a trigger is super niche and unlikely to come up often enough (or be powerful enough) to ever justify costing an extra mana.

ASalesman on Unesh, Ultimate Guide (Tribal)

1 year ago

Minor Revision

• Replaced Rewind with Unsummon. Rewind is expensive, and like Treachery it feels bad when it doesn't resolve. The main reason to include Rewind over another counterspell is that it can gain additional mana in combination with mana doublers. However this usually only happens when you counter your own spell which is not always ideal. Unsummon keeps the value train rolling baby. This mana cheap spell keeps the win con rolling. So it keeps the deck faster and more focused.
• Replaced Cryptic Command with Mystical Tutor. Cryptic command is an expensive spell to hold up. With other recent additions making the deck fast, it is probably better to speed the deck up more and win the race to a wincon rather than defend against other wincons. This card will mostly end up fetching Rite of Replication, but it can also grab your only board wipe Cyclonic Rift, Ghostly Flicker for value, or a piece of interaction.
• Replaced Swiftfoot Boots with Trickbind. Swiftfoot boots feels a little slow with the 1 cmc equip cost. It is easier to defend Unesh with some of the other additions like Unsubstantiate or Unsummon (these also defend against a boardwipe while the boots don't. Trickbind is included because it can stop a lot of cEDH combos that don't rely on spells resolving. This spell can also be tutored by recently added tutors Spellseeker and Mystical Tutor.

ASalesman on Unesh, Ultimate Guide (Tribal)

1 year ago

Thank you, that's an interesting take! You already know my reasoning for Cryptic Command. The reason I do like Rewind is not actually for the counterspell, but for mana generation. With Extraplanar Lens (or other mana doubling effect) on the field, a Universal Automaton (or other cheap spell) followed by Rewind countering Universal Automaton nets a nice chunk of mana. I will say though rewind does feel like one of the weaker cards in the deck now following all of the revisions. Definitely worth revisiting on my part.