Pact of Negation

Instant

This is blue.

Counter target spell.

At the beginning of your next upkeep, pay {3}{U}{U}. If you don't, you lose the game.

Combos

• Hive Mind + Pact of Negation

Legality

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

Discussion (48)

SaberTech on Dissident Storm

1 week ago

You do have a lot of cantrips and rituals, although I would consider running Dark Ritual as well. It's the most mana efficient ritual, and being able to cast Necropotence turn 1 or suddenly flash in an Opposition Agent off of just one open black mana is pretty strong. Brainstorm would be worth considering but I don't think that you have enough ways to shuffle your library right now to get the most use out of it. Maybe if you upped the number of fetch lands that you are running. Night's Whisper is a possible consideration for another cheap draw spell.

I do think that some of the top end of your deck could be replaced. Too many expensive storm payoff cards means that you have a higher chance of having them clogging your starting hand and first few draws, which is rough for a deck that wants to be setting up and casting a bunch of cheap spells. I really think that Eye of the Storm should go because there is a high chance that your opponents may get to benefit from it more than you do. You could replace the more expensive cards with wheels and card draw engines to help you keep your hand full and find your remaining win conditions faster. Windrider Wizard or Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain could be worth considering depending on how mana artifacts vs spells your final list ends up running. Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy can help you cast more spells in a turn but might not be what you want if you are hoping to stock up your graveyard for Underworld Breach.

You may end up needing a couple more board wipes depending on your meta. If everyone in your play group is just aiming to hit their combos the fastest then you may not need to worry about being beaten down by creatures before someone combos off and wins the game. If you are facing a bunch of creature-focused decks then more board wipes like Toxic Deluge may be necessary.

Hindering Touch doesn't seem like a strong enough counterspell to be running in Bracket 4. There is always Force of WillGC or Pact of Negation, but another one that may be worth considering is Muddle the Mixture for its option of being a tutor. It can grab Brain Freeze or Underworld BreachGC, and if you add in the dramatic Scepter combo then it can grab those cards too.

PhotogenicParasympathetic on Card creation challenge

3 months ago

I Am Leaving {WU}{B}

Instant

Destroy target creature. If that creature's power was less than 3, draw a card.

// The Fighter Still Remains {WU}{B}

Instant

Target creature gains indestructible until end of turn. If that creature's power was greater than 3, draw a card.

Fuse

In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade

---

(+1 for the Linkin Park reference!)

Make a new card in the "Pact" cycle (Pact of Negation, Pact of the Titan, Slaughter Pact, Summoner's Pact, Intervention Pact)

FunWithFlags123 on Lazav EDH

5 months ago

I would recommend the fallowing: Mithril Coat in addition to Darksteel Plate I would also recommend: Pact of Negation and Counter spell because as all blue player know the table should ask your permission to cast their spells :)

Last I would suggest: Realmbreaker, the Invasion Tree because you are running Praetor cards, it mills and gets lands for you.

I would drop the 2 tutors unless you are going to run at least 5 and so and have combo you are attempting to run. Like a try hard. I would also drop Grindlock

jsnrice on Atraxa, Grand Unifier

7 months ago

Deck Title: Ascension Through Unity – Atraxa cEDH Food Chain

Commander

Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Color Identity: {B}{G}{U}{W}

---

Introduction

Welcome to Ascension Through Unity, a competitive EDH build centered around Atraxa, Grand Unifier, the ultimate value engine and a uniquely powerful commander that bridges midrange resilience with combo potential. This list leverages the raw card advantage of Atraxa’s ETB trigger to dig for win conditions, interaction, and fast mana — all while supporting a Food Chain combo core.

This deck is tuned for high-level pods and aims to win fast, interact precisely, and grind smart when necessary.

---

Win Conditions

Primary Wincon:
- Food Chain + Eternal Scourge / Misthollow Griffin / Flesh Duplicate
Infinite creature mana via Food Chain and one of the exile-recurring creatures.
→ Cast Atraxa, Grand Unifier, dig for Thassa's OracleGC or Tainted Pact / Demonic Consultation combo.

Backup Wincons:
- Thassa's OracleGC + Tainted Pact / Demonic Consultation
- Finale of Devastation for lethal with infinite mana
- Displacer Kitten combos with The One RingGC, Teferi, Time Raveler, or mana rocks for infinite value/actions

---

Notable Synergies

• Atraxa, Grand Unifier ETB + Displacer Kitten: Abuse blink triggers for maximum card filtering and pseudo-storm turns.
• Food Chain + Exile creatures: Efficient engine for infinite mana into Atraxa chains.
• Talion, the Kindly Lord + low-cost spell density = passive draw engine.
• Drannith MagistrateGC, Opposition AgentGC, Orcish Bowmasters: Stax elements that don’t disrupt our own lines.
• Archivist of Oghma, Esper Sentinel, Mystic Remora, Rhystic StudyGC: Passive card draw galore.

---

Staples and Interaction

This deck plays nearly every blue interaction spell you’d expect: - Free Countermagic: Force of WillGC, Force of Negation, Pact of Negation, Mindbreak Trap, Flusterstorm
- Removal: Swords to Plowshares, Abrupt Decay, Chain of Vapor, Toxic Deluge, Culling Ritual
- Tutors: Vampiric TutorGC, Demonic TutorGC, Worldly Tutor, Enlightened TutorGC, Imperial SealGC

And it runs every relevant fast mana: - Mana Crypt, Lotus Petal, Chrome MoxGC, Mox DiamondGC, Mox Opal, Mana VaultGC, Ancient TombGC

---

Why Atraxa?

While many commanders offer value, Atraxa’s Grand Unifier trigger is uniquely broken in a deck like this. With a proper build, she can hit: - A creature (e.g. Eternal Scourge, Deathrite Shaman)
- A non-creature spell (e.g. Demonic Consultation)
- An instant (e.g. Swan Song, An Offer You Can't Refuse)
- A sorcery (e.g. Finale of Devastation)
- An artifact (e.g. Sol Ring)
- An enchantment (e.g. Rhystic StudyGC)
- A planeswalker (e.g. Teferi, Time Raveler)

This makes Atraxa a one-card value engine that refills your hand and pivots you into a win turn with proper sequencing.

---

Power Level & Goals

This deck is firmly cEDH (power level 9.5–10). It’s built for pods where interaction is heavy, turns are fast, and wins are clean.

You’ll thrive if: - You can protect Atraxa, Grand Unifier for at least one trigger
- You pilot your combo lines efficiently
- You mulligan aggressively for interaction or ramp

---

Mulligan Strategy

Look for: - Turn 1–2 dorks/rocks + tutor
- Food Chain + exile creature opener
- Strong card draw pieces + interaction
- Always mull away clunky high-CMC hands

---

Weaknesses

• Susceptible to Drannith MagistrateGC (unless we remove it)
• Hate for graveyard/exile recursion (Rest in Peace, etc.)
• Heavy counterspell matchups if we stumble on mana

---

Closing Thoughts

Atraxa, Grand Unifier doesn’t just unify card types — she unifies power, control, and combo under one elegantly devastating package. Whether you’re tutoring with efficiency or slamming a turn 4 Food Chain win, this deck rewards mastery and punishes hesitation. Perfect for cEDH players who love versatility and inevitability.

---

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you want a sideboard package or metagame tweaks.

burferking on Turn 0 win vs Chancellor of dross (100%)

7 months ago

Well, if you can play conspiracies, I would use Emissary's Ploy in the sideboard as "A conspiracy doesn't count as a card in your deck for purposes of meeting minimum deck size requirements."
3 Pact of Negation, because in a deck of 60 FoW, each Force of WillGC needs to exile another one. In a starting hand of 7, three could be played.

Main list 53x Contract from Below 2x Elvish Spirit Guide 1x Flash 3x Pact of Negation 1x Thassa's OracleGC

Sideboard 1x Emissary's Ploy

Mortlocke on The Queen's Egg

11 months ago

LordDonato,

Cutting Cyclonic Rift or Pact of Negation are bold suggestions that i'd find myself very much against. Sure Cyclonic Rift is expensive being a 7 CMC spell - but it's a one sided untargeted mass removal spell at instant speed - 7 CMC for that kind of effect feels like a bargain. Pact of Negation is great because I can bait out my opponent into casting a big spell once I am all...tapped out. Losing the game is almost irrelevant if I am popping off on my turn and am able to counter an opponent's attempt at interacting with one of my combo pieces. I will however revisit these thoughts and opinions if my meta changes or shifts toward cEDH.

Seuchenschutz,

Path of Ancestry has a solid effect - but the cost of entering tapped is far too high a price to even be considered. Sliver Hive was once in this deck many iterations ago. I chose to cut it however as the colored mana it provided was exclusive to creatures - which is a pretty big drawback. It's last ability is pretty much irrelevant, as I'm never going to spend 5 mana - and tapping a land to create a 1/1 creature token. If Sliver Hive didn't need to be tapped to activate it's second ability then it'd be auto include for sure, and probably way more expensive than roughly 20 USD. Bring to Light was also in this deck many iterations ago, and I see what you mean when it comes to paying WUBRG, tutoring and casting one of the legendary Slivers. I'll need to think more on this spell before giving it another run. Patriarch's Bidding was also in this deck many iterations ago, but more often than not I would find this spell backfiring on me massively as it also assists all of my opponents as well. It's a cool spell - but it can also enable my opponents to combo out before I do - or at the very least enable them to thwart my plans.

Xica on Madcap Control

1 year ago

I had a similar-ish list to yours - with moderate success - around hogaak winter (when meta was hogaak + amulet titan).

With no blockers, and only counterspells for ineraction t7 is too slow.

I abused Madcap Experiment to ge around he issue way back then. Frankly in a package like yours Pact of Negation should be THE counterspell as far as free ones go. You have little to no card draw engines - as such pitch spells are an enormous liability.*

And depending on how the meta ebbs and flows (mostly on presence of noncreature removal)) Robe of Mirrors can be backbreaking.

*card selection cantrips are where card advantage is at. Read up turbo xerox principle. T4 JTMS or suspended ancestral vision is not timely enough.

Icbrgr on Using Disrupting Shoal

1 year ago

the main point to consider with shoal or at least what i've been getting hung up on is the being able to cast on your turn. Force of Negation is amazing but if you go to tap out on your turn to play a threat like Goblin Charbelcher/Jace, the Mind Sculptor or something like that... the build im doing doesn't have the means to use Flare of Denial as anything but a Cancel.

in my more COMBO style decks ive used Pact of Negation where i just planned on going all out to win the game when i tapped out/played my combo pieces... but this brew doesnt quite play that way.