Pact of Negation
Mana Cost:
Type: Instant
Oracle Text:
Counter target spell.
At the beginning of your next upkeep, pay {3}{U}{U}. If you don't, you lose the game.
Power/Toughness: -/-
Rarity: rare
Prints: View all prints (1) →
Expansion: Mystery Booster 2
Price ( USD): $19.92
USD: $19.92 · EUR: €14.03
Public Decks Using This Card
No public decks are currently using this card.
Character Background
Pact of Negation is a zero‑cost instant that gives you a free, unconditional counterspell now in exchange for a lethal debt at your next upkeep — pay 3UU or lose. That binary risk/reward makes it ideal for combo and interactive control shells that need a free answer to stop a kill or protect a win; it’s also excellent as a tempo swing on the turn you’re assembling a combo. A classic synergy is imprinting Pact on Isochron Scepter for repeatable, no‑mana counters; build toward that by including cheap cantrips (Ponder, Preordain, Serum Visions) and tutor effects to find the Scepter. If you run Pact, plan how you’ll handle the upkeep trigger: include backup win routes or lab‑style finishes (Ad Nauseam/Laboratory Maniac, Aetherflux Reservoir), mana generators that can supply 3UU by your upkeep, or cards that prevent losing the game (Platinum Angel) in singleton formats. Treat Pact as a conditional must-have for blue combo engines, not a catchall for slow, resource‑starved control lists.
Generated using gpt-5-mini · Updated at 2026-05-16 09:40:43 UTC