Altar of the Pantheon 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
Your devotion to each color and each combination of colors is increased by one.: Add one mana of any color. If you control a God, a Demigod, or a legendary enchantment, you gain 1 life.
Complete guide
Altar of the Pantheon is a versatile mana rock that serves as a cornerstone for devotion-based strategies. By boosting your devotion counts and providing colored mana along with incidental life gain, it helps fuel powerful Theros-inspired abilities.
Boosting Your Faith
The first ability of Altar of the Pantheon is a static effect that increases your devotion to each color and each combination of colors by one. This added devotion is calculated effectively before any other effects that might cause the Altar to lose its abilities. No matter how many colors you are checking for, the Altar adds exactly one to that specific total; it does not add two or three just because you are checking for multiple colors simultaneously.
Mana Generation and Healing
When you tap Altar of the Pantheon for mana, you produce one mana of any color you choose. This is a mana ability, meaning it does not use the stack and cannot be responded to. If you control at least one God, Demigod, or legendary enchantment at the moment you activate this, you also gain 1 life. Note that having multiple eligible permanents won't increase the life gain; you gain exactly 1 life regardless of whether you control one God or an entire pantheon.
When to Deploy the Altar
You should play Altar of the Pantheon when your deck relies on turning on God creatures or maximizing 'devotion matters' triggers. Because it provides any color of mana, it is excellent for fixing your mana base in multicolored decks. It is particularly effective when you have 3-cost or 4-cost Gods that require a small push to become creatures and start attacking.
Interaction examples
Swiftfoot BootsIf you have Swiftfoot Boots already on the battlefield and you play a creature that can interact with your Altar, you can equip the Boots to that creature immediately. While Altar of the Pantheon provides the mana To pay for the equip cost, it also increases your devotion to the colors of that creature, potentially turning it into a creature if it was a God previously lacking devotions.
Arcane SignetIn a Commander game, having both Altar of the Pantheon and Arcane Signet provides a robust mana engine. While Arcane Signet is limited by your commander's color identity, Altar of the Pantheon can produce any color regardless, which is helpful if you've stolen a spell from an opponent. Furthermore, if your Commander is a God, tapping the Altar will consistently net you 1 life per turn, whereas the Signet only provides the mana.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Altar of the Pantheon
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Your devotion to two colors (for example, your devotion to red and green) is increased by one, not by two or three.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
You gain just 1 life, no matter how many Gods, Demigods, and/or legendary enchantments you control beyond the first.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The last ability of Altar of the Pantheon is a mana ability. It doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to. You'll immediately add mana and gain 1 life, if applicable.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If Altar of the Pantheon loses its abilities, you'll still get a bonus to your devotion. This is because its effect is applied before any effect that would make it lose its abilities.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Altar of the Pantheon
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.