Ardyn, the Usurper 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
Demons you control have menace, lifelink, and haste. Starscourge — At the beginning of combat on your turn, exile up to one target creature card from a graveyard. If you exiled a card this way, create a token that's a copy of that card, except it's a 5/5 black Demon.
Complete guide
Ardyn, the Usurper is a high-cost Legendary Elder Human Noble that exerts absolute control over the battlefield by turning the dead into his own personal army. This dark monarch not only resurrects creatures as powerful 5/5 black Demons but also grants his demonic legion menace, lifelink, and haste. It is a formidable end-game threat that can turn any graveyard into a source of immediate, aggressive power.
Unpacking Starscourge
The Starscourge ability triggers at the beginning of combat on your turn. It allows you to target any creature card in any graveyard and exile it. If successful, you create a token that is a copy of that card, but with specific modifications: it becomes a 5/5 black Demon, regardless of its original size, color, or creature type. This token retains all the text and abilities of the original card, such as 'enters' abilities or keywords.
Resolving the Trigger Step by Step
First, the ability triggers as you enter your combat phase. You choose up to one target creature card in a graveyard. Upon resolution, if the target is still in the graveyard, you exile it. This is a crucial check; if the card is moved before the ability resolves, you won't get a token. After exiling it, the game creates a 5/5 token copy. Because Ardyn, the Usurper grants all your Demons haste, this new token is ready to attack immediately in the following Declare Attackers step.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
One common error is forgetting that the token's base power and toughness are locked at 5/5. Effects that would normally scale based on other factors in the original card's text will still use 5/5 as the base. Additionally, remember that while the token is a Demon, Ardyn himself is a Human Noble and does not benefit from his own static ability. Lastly, if you copy a card with {X} in its mana cost, X is treated as 0 for the token's values.
When to Play Ardyn
Ardyn is best played when you have ways to fill graveyards or when your opponents have high-value utility creatures you can steal. Because the ability triggers at the beginning of combat, you get immediate value the same turn Ardyn is cast, provided you move straight to combat. It is particularly effective against decks that rely on reanimation, as you can exile their key pieces to use them for yourself.
Interaction examples
Ardyn, the Usurper
Meteor GolemIf you have Meteor Golem in your graveyard, Ardyn can exile it at the start of your combat. You create a token that is a 5/5 black Demon copy of Meteor Golem. Its 'When this creature enters' ability triggers immediately, allowing you to destroy a nonland permanent. Furthermore, since the token is now a Demon, Ardyn grants it menace, lifelink, and haste, allowing it to attack that same combat.
Sheoldred, Whispering OneSuppose an opponent's Sheoldred, Whispering One is in a graveyard. Ardyn exiles it to create a 5/5 black Demon version. This token keeps Sheoldred's abilities, meaning at the start of each opponent's upkeep, they must sacrifice a creature. Because Ardyn provides menace and lifelink, your new 'Demon Sheoldred' is harder to block and will gain you 5 life whenever it deals damage.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Ardyn, the Usurper
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Except for the listed exceptions, the token copies exactly what was printed on the original card and nothing else. It doesn't copy any information about the object the card was before it was put into a graveyard.
Card named in this ruling
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a card copied by the token had any "when [this permanent] enters" abilities, the token also has those abilities, and they'll trigger when it's created. Similarly, any "as [this permanent] enters" or "[this permanent] enters with" abilities that the token has copied will also work.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If the copied card has
in its mana cost, X is 0.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
The token is a Demon creature instead of its other types and is black instead of its other colors. Its base power and toughness are 5/5. These are copiable values of the token that other effects may copy.
Card named in this ruling
Related cards and tokens
Legal formats
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