Tarkir: Dragonstorm Update Bulletin

Keep your eyes on the skies, because a storm is coming. A dragonstorm, that is! With the release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, we have new mechanics that necessitate new rules to detail their mysterious inner workings. We also made some non-functional changes to the Oracle text of a few cards.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm Comprehensive Rules Changes

This is a summary of the rule changes planned to come to Magic with the release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm. The official rules can be found on our rules page. If there should be a discrepancy between this summary and the official rules, the official rules take precedence.

New and Updated Rules

For detailed descriptions of each of the new mechanics, check out Matt Tabak's excellent mechanics article.

Omen Cards
720

These are the rules for Omen cards. (Not you, Omen Machine . I'm talking about the new subtype.) Each Omen is an instant or sorcery spell inset in the lower-left part of the card's frame. When an Omen spell resolves, its controller shuffles it into its owner's library instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard. Otherwise, cards with Omens are mechanically very similar to adventurer cards. Adding this rule also caused us to renumber some subsequent rules and clean up some references.

Behold
701.61

Gentlefolk, behold! This rule and its subrules define behold, a new keyword action that instructs you to reveal a card from your hand or choose a permanent you control that has a specific quality. Tarkir: Dragonstorm cards using this keyword action allow you to behold Dragons, so enjoy basking in their glory in Limited and Constructed alike.

Endure
701.62

Endure is the other keyword action introduced in this release. Some effects instruct a permanent to "endure N," and this rule and its subrules tell you how that works. Specifically, you create an N/N white Spirit creature token unless you put N +1/+1 counters on that permanent. There's also a rule that tells you what happens when a permanent is instructed to endure 0. I'll save you the search: nothing happens.

Harmonize
702.180

This rule and its subrules define harmonize, one of two keyword abilities in this release. Don't worry if you can't carry a tune, because harmonize doesn't require you to sing at all. It's an ability that allows you to cast a spell from your graveyard by paying its harmonize cost. You can also tap a creature you control to reduce the harmonize cost by an amount of generic mana equal to that creature's power.

Mobilize
702.181

Marshal your forces for our second and final keyword ability in this set: mobilize! You can go read this rule and its subrule to find out what that means, but I'll tell you anyway. Mobilize N means "Whenever this creature attacks, create N 1/1 red Warrior creature tokens. Those tokens enter tapped and attacking. Sacrifice them at the beginning of the next end step."

122.1b

Decayed counters have shambled into the list of keyword counters.

Other Rules Changes

701.40d

Hakbal of the Surging Soul blazed a trail for effects that instruct multiple permanents to explore at the same time. Hakbal was so far ahead of his time that the rule defining how this works didn't exist until now. Fortunately, connive has a similar rule that needed some wordsmithing, so we seized the opportunity to add this rule and update the related connive rule at the same time. My business school professors would be proud of my proactive approach to change processes (if they understood what I do, which they might not).

701.47d

This rule was updated to clarify cases where an object being instructed to connive as part of a simultaneous instruction to multiple permanents is no longer on the battlefield when that instruction is performed.

702.176a

The previous version of this rule caused some confusion about how effects that copy spells should interact with the impending mechanic. We've unified the language between the different abilities represented by impending to clarify that if a spell's impending cost was paid, copies of that spell (like ones created by the last ability of Lithoform Engine , for example) should function just like the original: the permanent the copy becomes should enter as a noncreature permanent with time counters on it, and the fourth ability represented by impending should trigger in its controller's end step and remove a counter from the permanent when it resolves.

702.178b

This rule clarifies how max speed abilities that grant abilities that function in zones other than the battlefield work. For example, Glitch Ghost Surveyor 's max speed ability grants it an ability that functions only in the graveyard, so the max speed ability also functions only in the graveyard.

707.10e

We've added some clarifying language to this rule to address how effects that copy a spell or ability and specify a new target for it, such as a token created by that effect, interact with replacement effects that might cause there to be more than one eligible target. Hint: the copy's controller gets to choose. There's also a very illustrative example involving Frontline Heroism and Anointed Procession .

New Subtypes

• Omen

New Ability Words

• Renew

New Glossary Entries

• Behold
• Endure
• Harmonize
• Mobilize
• Omen Card

Oracle Text Changes

We have a pretty small list of changes this time around. In addition to the following rules text updates, we also made a few changes to reminder text as well as some lingering things to hammer out after the large-scale changes made with Aetherdrift to apply new Magic: The Gathering Foundations templating across the Oracle text of cards. None of them are so interesting as to mention here.

Greater Is Good

Before this update, we had two templates that had the same meaning. Some cards referred to the "highest" power, toughness, or mana value among some set of permanents you control, while others referred to the "greatest" of those values. We also have templates that use "higher" and "greater" to express similar effects. With this update, we've standardized these effects to use "greater" and "greatest." This is a non-functional change. Here's an old favorite of mine, Timesifter , as an example. I'm sure referring to this card as an "old favorite of mine" won't scare people away from playing Commander with me.

Old Text:

At the beginning of each upkeep, each player exiles the top card of their library. The player who exiled the card with the highest mana value takes an extra turn after this one. If two or more players' cards are tied for highest, the tied players repeat this process until the tie is broken.

New Text:

At the beginning of each upkeep, each player exiles the top card of their library. The player who exiled the card with the greatest mana value takes an extra turn after this one. If two or more players' cards are tied for greatest, the tied players repeat this process until the tie is broken.

If the Siege Ain't Broken, Don't Fix It

The original text of Mardu Siegebreaker 's last ability was written in a way that could lead to confusion about the delayed triggered ability it creates. The new text removes that confusion by adding the word "next" and bringing the ability in line with other similar abilities.

Old Text:

Deathtouch, haste
When this creature enters, exile up to one other target creature you control until this creature leaves the battlefield.
Whenever this creature attacks, for each opponent, create a tapped token that's a copy of the exiled card attacking that opponent. At the beginning of your end step, sacrifice those tokens.

New Text:

Deathtouch, haste
When this creature enters, exile up to one other target creature you control until this creature leaves the battlefield.
Whenever this creature attacks, for each opponent, create a tapped token that's a copy of the exiled card attacking that opponent. At the beginning of your next end step, sacrifice those tokens.

Payment Processing

Pia Nalaar, Chief Mechanic 's last ability refers to the amount of {E} "spent this way," but other cards all refer to the amount of {E} "paid this way." We're bringing the wording of Pia's last ability in line with those other cards' abilities so that she can meet all appropriate Avishkari safety standards. This is a non-functional change.

Old Text:

Whenever one or more artifact creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, you get {E}{E} (two energy counters).
At the beginning of your end step, you may pay one or more {E}. If you do, create an X/X colorless Vehicle artifact token named Nalaar Aetherjet with flying and crew 2, where X is the amount of {E} spent this way.

New Text:

Whenever one or more artifact creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, you get {E}{E} (two energy counters).
At the beginning of your end step, you may pay one or more {E}. If you do, create an X/X colorless Vehicle artifact token named Nalaar Aetherjet with flying and crew 2, where X is the amount of {E} paid this way.

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Choose your clan, decide your destiny, and master the many mechanics of Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Tarkir: Dragonstorm is available at your local game store, online retailers like Amazon, and elsewhere Magic products are sold.