The 56 Best Enchantments in Magic

Last updated on April 23, 2024

Eldrazi Conscription | Illustration by Jaime Jones

Enchantments have been in MTG since the beginning, and they’re one of the coolest build arounds in the game. They’re hard to remove and enable countless combos and interactions. Enchantments usually alter the rules of the game and are one of the best permanents to build a deck around with special characteristics, whether you have an aggressive, combo, or controlling deck.

We won’t be covering enchantment creatures, but today I will be going over enchantments, auras, and sagas from every color. So let’s see what MTG has to offer in terms of enchantments for your Constructed decks, shall we?

What are Enchantments in MTG?

Ghostly Prison | Illustration by Daarken

Enchantments are a card type in MTG, just like creatures, instants, sorceries, and the like. Enchantments can only be cast at sorcery speed unless they have flash.

Best White Enchantments

#9. Legion's Landing / Adanto, the First Fort

Paying one mana and making a token is just fine, but if you can flip Legion's Landing becomes a great token generator.

#8. Cathars' Crusade

Every token deck should think about including Cathars' Crusade. If that deck also has a +1/+1 counters theme, even better.

#7. Elspeth Conquers Death

Five mana for an unconditional exile effect is good, and after that you can resurrect your own creature or planeswalker.

#6. Sigil of the Empty Throne

Making a 4/4 angel each time you play an enchantment is a great payoff for every enchantment deck.

#5. Sigarda's Aid

Sigarda's Aid is a boon in decks that play equipments with expensive equip costs. This card sees play in Modern decks like Hammer Time.

#4. Rest in Peace

One of the best graveyard hate pieces ever printed, Rest in Peace is a sideboard staple in eternal formats like Modern and Legacy. 

#3. Ghostly Prison

Cards like Ghostly Prison and Propaganda will make your opponents attack anyone other than you, and it’s very nice in prison decks.

#2. Land Tax

White surprisingly has one of the best ways to get lands from the deck in Land Tax. Any time an opponent has more lands than you, you search for three lands. That’s lands guaranteed for you, and you can always discard excess lands if you need to discard something for value.

#1. Smothering Tithe

A staple in Commander, each time an opponent plays a spell you can make a Treasure thanks to Smothering Tithe. This is great considering that white doesn't have a lot of ramp effects.

Best Blue Enchantments

#9. Back to Basics

Back to Basics is the first blue enchantment on the list. It's usually played to hate on multicolor decks or to bring games to a halt in formats like Legacy. You’ll find this card’s effect to be quite one-sided if your deck has few non-basics or relies on mana produced by artifacts or Treasures.

#8. Standstill

Standstill is a build around enchantment that appears in a Constructed format like Legacy or Vintage from time to time. The aim of the enchantment is to stop your opponent from playing spells (either that or you’re drawing three cards). And yeah, you won’t be playing spells too. So how do you win?

Either by attacking with creature lands since lands aren't considered a spell cast. Or with effects that put creatures in play via cycling like Shark Typhoon, Entreat the Angels) or eternalize (Timeless Dragon.

#7. Mystic Remora

This weird Ice Age card became a staple in older formats because of its potential to draw so many cards. Mystic Remora works even better in multiplayer formats like Commander where there are more players to draw you cards.

#6. Shark Typhoon

A staple from Historic to Standard and even other 60-card formats, Shark Typhoon has two modes. The first and most popular mode lets you cycle it and create a Shark token. In some games you’ll hard cast it and quickly build a giant army of Sharks.

#5. Imprisoned in the Moon

For a color that doesn’t have direct removal or ramp, Imprisoned in the Moon does both (albeit poorly). It’s one of the few blue cards that lets you ignore the text on any permanent on the battlefield.

#4. Control Magic

For four mana you get to take control of the best creature available thanks to Control Magic. Cards that do this usually cost five or six mana depending on the card and other effects.

#3. Mind Over Matter

Mind Over Matter is an incredible blue enchantment that offers incredible combo potential. It costs a massive four blue mana pips to cast at , but the effect is well worth it. Pair it with something like Azami, Lady of Scrolls and you're drawing infinite cards and popping off immediately.

#2. Search for Azcanta / Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin

This double-faced card made waves in Constructed formats, Search for Azcanta allowing you to “surveil” every turn, which helps with card selection. Once it flips into Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin the activated ability takes over games via card advantage and selection.

#1. Rhystic Study

As long as you have Rhystic Study in play during an EDH game you’ll be drawing several cards because not everyone will pay the tax. And drawing cards is always nice.

Best Black Enchantments

#8. Leyline of the Void

Every format has its graveyard strategies, and Leyline of the Void is there to stop them. The thing is, these graveyard decks are quick and killing their creatures won’t do. It’s a common strategy to mulligan until you find your graveyard hate and at least this card can be cast for free at the start of the game.

#7. Bitterblossom

It’s hard to find Bitterblossom powerful at first look, but the endless stream of tokens gets out of control quick. It’s even better with token synergies or anthem effects. Paying one life a turn is harsh, but you’ll either have extra life like EDH or ways to gain life and finish the opponent before it even matters. 

#6. Revel in Riches

If WotC keeps printing effects that make Treasures like Dockside Extortionist, Goldspan Dragon, Hullbreacher, and more, Revel in Riches will be an even easier win condition to achieve. Even without winning, making a few Treasures after a board wipe is often useful.

#5. Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood

Sanguine Blood and Exquisite Blood are here together because assembling both 5-mana enchantments guarantees a win. But even having one of these in a Commander game is already useful, especially if your commander has lifegain or life drain synergies.

#4. Animate Dead

Two mana to reanimate any creature without a downside? I’m in. Don’t pay attention to Animate Dead‘s -1/-0 effect since it’s negligible.

#3. The Meathook Massacre

Probably one of the best black cards recently printed, The Meathook Massacre combines a sweeper, lifegain, and life drain effects all in one, something every slow black deck wants.

#2. Phyrexian Arena

Pay three mana to draw two cards every turn. ‘Nuff said.

#1. Necropotence

Necropotence has fallen a bit out of favor, but it was the black enchantment that taught WotC that exchanging a bunch of life for a bunch of cards is usually not a good idea and can lead to broken decks and combos. And yes, it can be cast on turn 1 thanks to the existence of Dark Ritual.

Best Red Enchantments

#5. Warstorm Surge

Dealing damage based on the power of the creature entering the battlefield is very powerful, and that’s a legitimate win condition in some Commander decks. Cards like Sekki, Seasons' Guide can go infinite and commanders like Omnath, Locus of Creation can deal a lot of damage. One of the oldest commanders, Animar, Soul of Elements plus Ancestral Statue can deal infinite damage.

#4. Sulfuric Vortex

Sulfuric Vortex is one of the quintessential aggressive cards in MTG. Dealing two damage every turn to both players in a permanent that’s hard to interact with plays right into what aggressive decks and burn decks want to do.

#3. Sneak Attack

Everyone who's played Cube has seen some Eldrazi or similar big creature entering the battlefield via Sneak Attack. There’s even a deck in Legacy called “Sneak and Show” because of this and Show and Tell. 

#2. Underworld Breach

Having to exile cards from your graveyard is such a low cost to pay in order to have massive card advantage, and decks like Storm like Underworld Breach as another Yawgmoth's Will effect.

#1. Blood Moon

Blood Moon is a great build around when the meta consists mostly of multicolor decks in formats like Modern and Legacy.

Best Green Enchantments

#11. Rancor

Rancor is one aura that can’t ever die (well it can, but it’s hard). Suddenly every 2/2 token you have can become a 4/2 with trample. A great way to get around those pesky chump blockers.

#10. Utopia Sprawl

With combos like “untap a land” effects, a land enchanted by Utopia Sprawl can easily produce 4+ mana.

#9. Garruk's Uprising

Play Garruk's Uprising with big creatures and you’ll have a constant source of card advantage.

#8. Frontier Siege

Two mana every turn! Frontier Siege offers two modes. The first one adds to the pre-combat main phase, which every green deck can use well, and is already fine as a main mode. The second one depends on having fliers, something that green decks don’t often have. So you’ll rarely use that mode, if ever.

#7. Asceticism

Giving hexproof to all your creatures is very nice, and it’s also possible to regenerate one creature (or more) with Asceticism. The only profitable way to interact with your creatures here is with mass sacrifice or exile effects.

#6. Kenrith's Transformation

Kenrith's Transformation is an aura that says “draw a card” on it, which is a good start. It turns any creature into a 3/3 without abilities. This won’t let commanders be cast again from the command zone, so sometimes it’s better to leave the opposing commander on the field via indirect removal.

#5. Exploration

Being able to play an extra land every turn is sure to put your ahead of your opponents in formats defined by ramp like Commander. But Exploration’s power level goes down significantly if played after turn 1.

#4. Sylvan Library

There was a time where card advantage in green wasn’t very common. Sylvan Library allows you to draw two extra cards each turn, paying four life for each one. It’s card advantage and selection. The downside is greatly mitigated in a format like Commander where your starting life total is higher.

#3. Hardened Scales

Hardened Scales is a staple in 60-card Constructed decks whenever the theme of the deck is +1/+1 counters, be it Modern or Pioneer. EDH decks looking to spread +1/+1 counters among creatures should take a look at this one.

#2. Parallel Lives

Parallel Lives is an unforgettable green enchantment. It quite literally doubles your token output by itself. This powerhouse takes any token-based strategy to the next level, and that's an understatement. If you're looking to go even further beyond, you can always pair it with a Doubling Season for even more token carnage.

#1. Doubling Season

One of the quintessential Commander cards, Doubling Season does almost everything you want in green decks. It doubles the tokens you make and also doubles all counters you place on permanents, so you can cast a planeswalker and ultimate it on the spot. 

Best Multicolored Enchantments

#12. Thousand-Year Storm

Each card you cast effectively has storm after you cast Thousand-Year Storm. After that each draw spell nets more cards, each red burn spell kills more opponents, and playing a big spell earns more dividends.

#11. Showdown of the Skalds

Boros () decks usually don’t have a source of card advantage, and WotC has been experimenting with the this pseudo-card advantage. The first two chapters of Showdown of the Skalds use this form of pseudo-card advantage while the third bolsters your army to overpower your opponent.

#10. Binding the Old Gods

Golgari () decks are usually in the market for universal removal and ramp like Binding the Old Gods. The deathtouch to all creatures is slightly less useful, but it’ll facilitate getting your attacks through. 

#9. The Kami War / O-Kagachi Made Manifest

One of the more recent enchantments from this list, The Kami War packs a punch with such a hefty mana cost. The first chapter is universal removal. The second chapter is bounce combined with card advantage. After that it turns into a powerful creature with card advantage packed into an attack trigger.

#8. Sterling Grove

Giving your enchantments shroud is very good in a deck heavy with enchantments as long as you're not playing auras. Sterling Grove is also a tutor that can find your deck’s key enchantments.

#7. Maelstrom Nexus

A good incentive to play all five colors, Maelstrom Nexus grants your first spell each turn cascade, meaning that the first spell you play each turn is an instant 2-for-1.

#6. Mayael's Aria

It’s not hard to have a creature with power 5 or greater in a deck revolving around +1/+1 counters. The floor with Mayael's Aria is to put a counter on each creature you control, and after that you can gain a bunch of life or even win the game.

#5. Aura Shards

EDH is a format filled with artifacts and enchantments like the ones from this list. The fact that Aura Shards is a repeated Naturalize effect grants it a place in this list. There are also lots of Selesnya () Enchantress decks lying around in Commander, so it’s bound to be useful for whatever you face at your table.  

#4. Rhythm of the Wild

Fires of Yavimaya was already a Constructed staple. Giving all your creatures haste is what Gruul () wants, but Rhythm of the Wild adds more options. The creature can either have haste or a +1/+1 counter and it can’t be countered, which makes this enchantment relevant in more matchups. Rhythm is played in EDH and several Gruul decks in Historic and Pioneer.

#3. Pernicious Deed

A sweeper is always nice, and a flexible one that can be set to destroy more of the opponent’s stuff than yours is even better. Pernicious Deed can be better in eternal formats where the mana value of the permanents tends to be low than in formats where the cost of the permanents is higher like EDH. Even then you can sacrifice it for 0 to destroy lots of tokens and Treasures.

#2. Jeskai Ascendancy

Jeskai Ascendancy was a card that created a lot of infinite combos back in its day. You can easily churn through your entire deck and make some massive creatures with some mana dorks in play and enough cantrips in your hand.

#1. Mirari's Wake

Despite having to pay five mana, Mirari's Wake does what almost every green Commander deck wants: it effectively doubles the amount of mana produced by your lands and gives all your creatures +1/+1 counters. This is a perfect fit considering that most Selesnya decks are token-based or decks interested in casting expensive spells. 

Best Colorless Enchantments

#2. Eldrazi Conscription

Eldrazi Conscription is one of the most powerful auras ever made. Giving +10/+10, trample, and annihilator 2 is no joke. The problem is that casting cost.

In Standard this was played alongside Sovereigns of Lost Alara. Some decks can use the aura swap ability on Arcanum Wings, other decks can cast the aura into indestructible or hexproof creatures.

#1. Urza's Saga

Urza's Saga made waves in virtually every eternal format ever since its printing. The first chapter lets you tap it for . Okay, your ordinary land. Nothing to see here.

The second ability makes a creature token with power and toughness equal to the number of artifacts you control. This is a very powerful ability to have on a land in an artifact-based deck. The third chapter is a tutor effect. You do have to sacrifice this land after three turns, but by that point it will have generated so much value that it doesn’t really matter.

Is an Enchantment a Spell?

Sylvan Library | Illustration by Bryan Sola

Whenever a player casts an enchantment, it’s considered a spell. It goes on the stack as usual, the opponent has an opportunity to respond, and so on. 

Is an Enchantment a Permanent?

All enchantments are permanents. Any type of card that stays on the battlefield is considered a permanent.

Does a Counter Count as an Enchantment?

+1/+1 counters are not enchantments. There are rules regarding counters and there are rules regarding enchantments.

Who Controls an Enchantment?

With some exceptions (e.g., Captive Audience), the owner of the card is also the controller of the enchantment. This applies even if the enchantment permanent is controlled by the opponent.

What if I Put an Aura on My Opponent's Creature? Who Controls the Enchantment?

Whoever casts the aura still controls it, regardless of which creature it’s enchanting. If you put an aura like Pacifism on your opponent’s creature, you still control Pacifism. This is relevant for cards like Candletrap with activated abilities.

What's a World Enchantment?

A “world enchantment” is a supertype for enchantments. It works like this: at a given point there can only be one world enchantment in the game. Any time a player plays a world enchantment, the former one leaves play. It works like the legendary rule but is a little bit different except that you can have several legendary permanents in play as long as they don’t share the same name.

What's a Global Enchantment?

A “global enchantment” is what we called enchantments before Ninth Edition. A global enchantment works exactly the same as permanents with the type enchantment (that is, those that aren't auras).

What's a Local Enchantment?

A “local enchantment” is what we called auras before Ninth Edition. Cards that only affect the enchanted permanent were called local enchantment because the scope of actuation was restricted.

What's a Tribal Enchantment?

A tribal enchantment is an enchantment with a creature type. For example, if I cast Bound in Silence, a “rebel enchantment,” I’m casting a “rebel spell.” Cards that interact with rebels will also interact with Bound in Silence.

Is an Enchantment Creature an Enchantment?

Enchantment creatures count as both creatures and enchantments. So every effect that affects a creature will work on them, as well as every effect that affects an enchantment.

Can You Enchant an Enchantment?

Some cards state that you can enchant any permanent, like the Runes currently in Standard. Rune of Sustenance can enchant another enchantment, for example.

If the enchantment is also a creature, then it can be enchanted by any regular aura since those hit any creature. Another case is with cards like Suppression Bonds, which can enchant another enchantment so that its abilities can’t be activated.

What Happens to Enchantments on a Creature When it Dies?

When a creature enchanted with auras dies, all the auras currently on the creature go to the graveyard along with the creature. There are a few exceptions depending on the mechanics and the text on the card. For example, a card with bestow ceases to be an aura and becomes a creature, but that’s in the bestow rulings.

How to Get Rid of Enchantments

There are three main ways to get rid of enchantments. The first one is to destroy, the second is to exile, and the third is to bounce it.

Enchantments can be problematic to get rid of because the cards that destroy them are very narrow by design and are usually relegated to the sideboard. But there are a few cards that can be played in the main deck that can deal with enchantments, and this is especially relevant for sets like Theros: Beyond Death and Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty that have lots of powerful enchantments.

Here are some cards to get rid of those pesky enchantments:

• In Standard there are alternatives like Vanishing Verse that can deal with any permanent as long as it’s mono-colored. The first effect of Binding the Old Gods or the minus ability on Kaya the Inexorable also do the trick.
• Mass removal like Farewell and Devastating Mastery get rid of lots of different permanents, enchantments included.
• Black can force your opponent to sacrifice an enchantment with cards like Pharika's Libation and Invoke Despair.
• Cards like Disenchant, Naturalize, and Crushing Canopy are modal and flexible cards, but usually not strong enough for the main deck. It’s common to see Force of Vigor doing some work in Modern.
• You can use creatures (usually green or white) with ETB effects like Reclamation Sage and Knight of Autumn. Other creatures can be sacrificed, like Qasali Pridemage and Caustic Caterpillar.
• Catch-all cards like Vindicate, Oblivion Ring, and Utter End will get any nonland permanent, including every enchantment.
• Blue can bounce enchantments with Disperse and similar cards. This is where the flexibility of cards like Brazen Borrower and Cryptic Command pays off.

Wrap Up

Bitterblossom | Illustration by Rebecca Guay

Whoa, that was a long list. I have no doubt that WotC will continue to print powerful enchantments thanks to their consistent popularity.

Now that we’ve gone through the list, which enchantment do you play in your Commander decks? Which auras are worth the risk of a 2-for-1? Which cards saw play in other Constructed formats and didn’t make this list? Let me know in the comment section below or in Draftsim's Discord server.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time!