Agatha's Soul Cauldron is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
You may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to activate abilities of creatures you control. Creatures you control with +1/+1 counters on them have all activated abilities of all creature cards exiled with Agatha's Soul Cauldron.: Exile target card from a graveyard. When a creature card is exiled this way, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
Complete guide
Agatha's Soul Cauldron is a versatile legendary artifact that turns your graveyard into a toolbox for your creatures. By exiling fallen heroes, you can grant their unique talents to anyone on your battlefield who carries a +1/+1 counter. This card bridges the gap between resource management and explosive creature synergies.
What It Does
Agatha's Soul Cauldron has three primary effects. First, it allows you to spend mana as though it were any color to activate creature abilities, ensuring you are never color-screwed when using borrowed powers. Second, it grants every creature you control with a +1/+1 counter all activated abilities of creature cards currently exiled by the Cauldron. Finally, it provides a repeatable way to exile cards from graveyards while distributing +1/+1 counters to fuel its own requirement.
How It Resolves Step by Step
When you tap the Cauldron, you target a card in any graveyard. As the ability resolves, that card is exiled. If the card was a creature card, you then choose a target creature you control to receive a +1/+1 counter. Once a creature card is in exile under the Cauldron, the static ability immediately begins applying to your creatures that have +1/+1 counters. They gain those abilities as if they were printed on them, meaning if an ability refers to the card's name, it now refers to the creature that gained the ability.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is trying to inherit triggered abilities (which start with 'When', 'Whenever', or 'At') or static abilities (like Flying or Trample). The Cauldron only grants activated abilities, which are formatted as '[Cost]: [Effect]'. Additionally, remember that if the Cauldron leaves the battlefield, your creatures lose all the abilities it was providing, even if they still have their +1/+1 counters, because the granting effect is tied to the artifact itself.
When to Play It
This artifact is best utilized in decks that can easily generate +1/+1 counters or those that rely on specific creature-based combos. It serves as excellent graveyard hate against opponents while simultaneously buffing your board. Because it allows mana fixing for activations, you can even include powerful off-color activated abilities in your deck just to exile them and use them via the Cauldron.
Interaction examples
Sol Ring
Arcane SignetWhile Sol Ring and Arcane Signet are artifacts and cannot be exiled by the Cauldron to grant abilities (as the Cauldron only grants abilities from exiled creature cards), you can use the mana generated by Sol Ring and Arcane Signet to pay for the activated abilities your creatures have gained. The Cauldron's first ability ensures that even the colorless mana from Sol Ring or specific colors from the Signet can be spent as any color for these activations.
If you use Agatha's Soul Cauldron to exile a creature with '{T}: Add {G}', every creature you control with a +1/+1 counter can now tap for green mana. If you later exile a second creature with '{2}: Draw a card', those same creatures now have both the mana-tapping ability and the card-draw ability. This allows a single creature to accumulate a massive list of options.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Agatha's Soul Cauldron
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Activated abilities contain a colon. They're generally written "[Cost]: [Effect]." Some keyword abilities are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder text.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Agatha's Soul Cauldron grants only activated abilities. It doesn't grant keyword abilities (unless those keyword abilities are activated), triggered abilities, or static abilities.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The granted abilities effectively use "this permanent" rather than "[that card's name]," so you treat the abilities as though they were printed on the creature that gained the ability. For example, say you exiled the card Argothian Sprite with Agatha's Soul Cauldron. Argothian Sprite has the ability "
: Put two +1/+1 counters on Argothian Sprite." If you controlled a Callous Sell-Sword with a +1/+1 counter on it, you'd treat it as though it had the ability ": Put two +1/+1 counters on Callous Sell-Sword."No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin + Agatha's Soul Cauldron + Walking Ballista
- 1Activate Ob Nixilis using Walking Ballista's second ability by removing a +1/+1 counter from it, dealing 1 damage to an opponent.
- 2Ob Nixilis triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on itself and exiling the top card of your library.
- 3Repeat.
Devoted Druid + Agatha's Soul Cauldron + Incubation Druid
- 1If Incubation Druid does not have a +1/+1 counter on it, activate its adapt ability by paying
, putting three +1/+1 counters on it. - 2Activate Incubation Druid by tapping it, adding .
- 3Activate Incubation Druid using Devoted Druid's second ability by putting a -1/-1 counter on it, untapping Incubation Druid.
- 4Repeat.
Agatha's Soul Cauldron + Francisco, Fowl Marauder + Walking Ballista
- 1Activate Francisco by using Walking Ballista's ability by removing a +1/+1 counter from it, dealing 1 damage to any target.
- 2Francisco triggers, revealing the top card of your library, then putting it back on top and putting a +1/+1 counter on Francisco.
- 3Repeat.
Wall of Roots + Agatha's Soul Cauldron + Tayam, Luminous Enigma + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Cast Orcish Bowmasters by paying its mana cost; it enters with a vigilance counter due to Tayam.
- 2When Orcish Bowmasters enters, it triggers, dealing 1 damage to any target and creating a 0/0 creature token with a +1/+1 counter on it as well as a vigilance counter due to Tayam.
- 3Declare that you are activating Tayam's ability, so state-based actions will not be checked until the ability is activated.
- 4While paying that ability's cost, activate the creature token using the Wall of Roots mana ability from Agatha's Soul Cauldron by putting a -0/-1 counter on it, adding .
- 5Complete the activation by paying and removing a vigilance counter from each of the two creatures and a -0/-1 counter from the Army token.
- 6Holding priority, activate Ashnod's Altar twice by sacrificing Orcish Bowmasters and the creature token, adding
. - 7Resolve Tayam's ability, milling three and returning Orcish Bowmasters from your graveyard to the battlefield with a vigilance counter on it.
- 8Repeat from step 2.
Agatha's Soul Cauldron + Walking Ballista + Aerith Gainsborough
- 1Activate Aerith Gainsborough by using Walking Ballista's ability by removing a +1/+1 counter from it, dealing 1 damage to any target and causing you to gain 1 life due to its lifelink.
- 2Aerith Gainsborough triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on it.
- 3Repeat.
Agatha's Soul Cauldron + Walking Ballista + Young Wolf
- 1Activate Young Wolf using Walking Ballista's second ability by removing a +1/+1 counter from it.
- 2Repeat step 1 until Young Wolf has no +1/+1 counters on it.
- 3Resolve all Young Wolf abilities dealing 1 damage to Young Wolf, and any remaining damage to any target(s).
- 4Young Wolf dies as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness.
- 5Young Wolf's undying ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
- 6Repeat.
Agatha's Soul Cauldron + Walking Ballista + Strangleroot Geist
- 1Activate Strangleroot Geist using Walking Ballista's second ability by removing a +1/+1 counter from it.
- 2Repeat step 1 until Strangleroot Geist has no +1/+1 counters on it.
- 3Resolve all Strangleroot Geist abilities dealing 1 damage to Strangleroot Geist, and any remaining damage to any target(s).
- 4Strangleroot Geist dies as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness.
- 5Strangleroot Geist's undying ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
- 6Repeat.
The Red Terror + Agatha's Soul Cauldron + Walking Ballista
- 1Activate The Red Terror using Walking Ballista's second ability by removing a +1/+1 counter from it, dealing 1 damage to any target.
- 2The Red Terror triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on it.
- 3Repeat.
Legal formats
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