First printed in Shards of Alara (2008)
Instant
Counter target spell that targets you or a permanent you control.
Draw a card.
Centuries of careful practice have elevated the casting of protective spells to an art form. What little offensive magic remains on Bant stands little chance of breaching them.
- Illustrated by
- Chris Rahn
Legality
- Legal in
- Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, Historic, Timeless, Penny Dreadful, Gladiator, Commander, Duel Commander, Pauper Commander, PreDH, Tiny Leaders, Oathbreaker, Brawl, Competitive Brawl
- Not legal in
- Standard, Pioneer, Future Standard, Alchemy, Premodern, Old School 93/94, Standard Brawl
Rulings (2)
- Hindering Light can target a spell that has multiple targets, as long as at least one of those targets is you or a permanent you control.
- You may choose to target a spell that “can’t be countered.” If you do, the first part of Hindering Light’s effect won’t do anything, but you’ll still get to draw a card.
Prices
MTGO price: 0.002 TIX, the cheapest non-foil print (average sell price on GoatBots, 30 Oct 2026).
In Limited on MTG Arena
Win rates in Arena drafts and sealed, retrieved from 17Lands (CC BY 4.0).
| Set | GIH WR | vs set | IWD | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outlaws of Thunder Junction (OTJ), Premier Draft | 48.9% | -5.3 | +1.1 | 6678 |
- GIH WR
- win rate of the games in which the card was in the opening hand or drawn
- vs set
- points above or below the average win rate of all decks in the set
- IWD
- improvement when drawn: GIH WR minus the win rate when the card stayed in the library
- Games
- games in which the card was seen