First printed in Zendikar (2009)
Instant — Trap
If a noncreature permanent under your control was destroyed this turn by a spell or ability an opponent controlled, you may pay 
rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Create four 1/1 green Snake creature tokens.
- Illustrated by
- Scott Chou
Legality
- Legal in
- Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander, PreDH, Oathbreaker
- Not legal in
- Standard, Pioneer, Pauper, Future Standard, Historic, Timeless, Alchemy, Penny Dreadful, Premodern, Old School 93/94, Gladiator, Pauper Commander, Tiny Leaders, Brawl, Standard Brawl, Competitive Brawl
Rulings (4)
- Casting a Trap by paying its alternative cost doesn’t change its mana cost or mana value. The only difference is the cost you actually pay.
- A spell or ability destroys a permanent only if that spell or ability specifically contains the word “destroy” in its text. If a spell or ability an opponent controls exiles a noncreature permanent you control, causes you to sacrifice a noncreature permanent, removes all loyalty counters from a planeswalker you control, or causes an ability you control to trigger (and then that ability destroys a permanent you control), Cobra Trap’s alternative cost condition hasn’t been met.
- Effects that increase or reduce the cost to cast a Trap will apply to whichever cost you chose to pay.
- You may ignore a Trap’s alternative cost condition and simply cast it for its normal mana cost. This is true even if its alternative cost condition has been met.
Prices
MTGO price: 0.003 TIX, the cheapest non-foil print (average sell price on GoatBots, 1 Nov 2026).
