What it does
"Make Them Pay" isn't an official MTG keyword—you won't find it in the rules glossary. It's a casual, slang term players use to describe punisher or "Rule of Law"-style strategies that tax or penalize opponents for taking actions, like casting spells, drawing cards, or attacking.
In practice, these effects come from cards like Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Esper Sentinel, or pillowfort pieces such as Propaganda and Ghostly Prison. They force opponents to pay mana (or suffer consequences) to do normal things, generating you value or slowing them down. The common misunderstanding is who chooses: with most "may pay" effects, the affected player decides whether to pay—so a distracted opponent often forgets, letting you snowball treasures or cards.
In Commander's multiplayer environment, these taxes scale brilliantly, since every opponent triggers them, turning small tolls into massive advantages.
Iconic cards with Make Them Pay
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