What it does
Cipher appears on certain sorceries (mostly from Gatecrash). When you cast a spell with cipher, after it resolves you may exile that card "encoded" on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, you may cast a copy of the encoded card without paying its mana cost.
The biggest misunderstanding: the original spell still resolves normally when you cast it—ciphering it onto a creature happens afterward, and it's optional. The encoded card sits in exile, not on the battlefield, so it isn't an Aura and can't be destroyed by enchantment removal. If the creature dies or changes control, the encoded card stays exiled but does nothing.
In Commander, cipher rewards evasive creatures and combat-damage triggers. Pair it with unblockable or flying threats to repeatedly recast cheap removal or card draw, and copying it onto multiple creatures via separate casts multiplies the value.
Iconic cards with Cipher
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