Price$4.41 – $16.30
Buy on TCGplayerGhostly Prison
Enchantment
Legal Salt 1.07EDHREC #164
Creatures can't attack you unless their controller pays for each creature they control that's attacking you.
Why is this card good?
Ghostly Prison is a cornerstone pillowfort enchantment that taxes attackers without stopping them outright. The beauty in Commander is the multiplayer math: making opponents pay per attacker means swinging at you with a wide board costs them a fortune, so they naturally redirect aggression toward easier targets.
It shines in slow, grindy decks that need time to set up — superfriends/planeswalker shells, control decks, big-mana ramp strategies, and anything that wants to win on a long axis (Azorius/Mono-White control, group-slug, or combo decks that need a turn or two of safety). Pairs beautifully with Propaganda, Sphere of Safety, and Windborn Muse to stack taxes.
Don't play it in aggressive decks where you're the one attacking — it does nothing offensively and can make you look passive while the table ignores you. It's also weak against go-tall threats (one 20/20 still only costs ) and useless versus burn, mill, or noncombat damage. Best when paired with other deterrents, not as a standalone.
per attacker means swinging at you with a wide board costs them a fortune, so they naturally redirect aggression toward easier targets.
It shines in slow, grindy decks that need time to set up — superfriends/planeswalker shells, control decks, big-mana ramp strategies, and anything that wants to win on a long axis (Azorius/Mono-White control, group-slug, or combo decks that need a turn or two of safety). Pairs beautifully with Propaganda, Sphere of Safety, and Windborn Muse to stack taxes.
Don't play it in aggressive decks where you're the one attacking — it does nothing offensively and can make you look passive while the table ignores you. It's also weak against go-tall threats (one 20/20 still only costs ) and useless versus burn, mill, or noncombat damage. Best when paired with other deterrents, not as a standalone.Related cards
Propaganda
Blue version taxing attackers the same way.
Sphere of Safety
Scales tax by your enchantment count, stronger deterrent.
Norn's Annex
Phyrexian mana tax that also costs life to attack.
Crawlspace
Limits attackers to two creatures regardless of payment.
Windborn Muse
Creature version of Ghostly Prison's attack tax.
Dueling Grounds
Restricts attackers and blockers to one each.
Koskun Falls
Requires tapping a creature to attack you.
Archangel of Tithes
Taxes both attacking and blocking when untapped.
Printings (20)
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Played by these commanders
Zedruu the Greathearted100% of 1
Breena, the Demagogue100% of 1
Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis100% of 1
Millicent, Restless Revenant100% of 1
Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa100% of 1
Go-Shintai of Life's Origin100% of 1
Shiko and Narset, Unified100% of 1
Sevinne, the Chronoclasm100% of 1
Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser100% of 1
Ranar the Ever-Watchful100% of 1
Rulings (2)
- 2014-02-01
Unless some effect explicitly says otherwise, a creature that can't attack you can still attack a planeswalker you control.
- 2007-02-01
In the Two-Headed Giant format, you still only have to pay once per creature.