Ashnod the Uncaring 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
Deathtouch Whenever you activate an ability of an artifact or creature that isn't a mana ability, if one or more permanents were sacrificed to activate it, you may copy that ability. You may choose new targets for the copy. (Sacrificing an artifact for mana to activate an ability doesn't count.)
Complete guide
Ashnod the Uncaring is a powerhouse for Grixis players who love turning their resources into extra value. By duplicating activated abilities that require a sacrifice, she ensures every offering to your engine provides twice the impact. Whether you are dismantling your own board for cards or damage, Ashnod ensures no sacrifice goes unrewarded.
Understanding Ashnod's Trigger
Ashnod the Uncaring has a triggered ability that watches for specific activated abilities. To qualify, you must activate an ability of an artifact or creature you control that requires sacrificing one or more permanents as part of its activation cost. Importantly, this does not apply to mana abilities (abilities that produce mana and don't require a target) even if they involve a sacrifice.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, you activate an ability and pay its costs, including sacrificing a permanent. This causes Ashnod's ability to trigger and go on the stack above the original ability. When Ashnod's trigger resolves, you decide whether to copy the original ability. If you do, you can choose new targets for the copy. The copy then resolves first, followed by your original activation.
What Counts as a Sacrifice?
The sacrifice must be an explicit part of the cost listed before the colon in the ability text. A common mistake is thinking that using mana from a sacrificed Treasure token to pay for an ability counts. It does not. The act of sacrificing must be the cost of the ability you want to copy, not a separate action taken to generate mana for that cost.
When to Deploy Ashnod
Ashnod is best played when your board is established with 'sac-outlets' or creatures that provide value upon being sacrificed. Because she has Deathtouch, she also serves as a potent deterrent on the battlefield, discouraging opponents from attacking while you set up your double-value engine.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneIf you have Roaming Throne on the battlefield naming 'Human', Ashnod's ability will trigger an additional time whenever you activate a qualifying sacrifice ability. This means if you sacrifice a creature to an artifact's ability, you can potentially copy that ability twice, resulting in three total effects for the cost of one sacrifice.
Solemn SimulacrumIt is important to note that Ashnod only copies activated abilities, not triggered abilities. If you sacrifice Solemn Simulacrum to an effect, Ashnod can copy the effect that caused the sacrifice. However, she will not copy Solemn Simulacrum's 'When this creature dies' ability, as that is a triggered ability that happens as a result of the death, not an activation cost.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Ashnod the Uncaring
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
“Sacrificed to activate it” means that a permanent was sacrificed to pay the ability’s costs. Sacrificing an artifact, such as a Treasure token, to create mana that you used to pay an activation cost doesn’t count.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Ashnod the Uncaring + Whisper, Blood Liturgist + Lightning Greaves
- 1Activate Lightning Greaves' equip ability by paying
, attaching it to Whisper. - 2Activate Whisper by tapping and sacrificing it and another nontoken creature you control, targeting any applicable creature card in your graveyard.
- 3Ashnod triggers, copying Whisper's ability, targeting Whisper.
- 4Resolve both Whisper abilities, returning Whisper and another creature from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 5Repeat.
Ashnod the Uncaring + Apprentice Necromancer + Ruthless Knave
- 1Activate Ruthless Knave's first ability by paying
and sacrificing it. - 2Ashnod the Uncaring triggers, copying Ruthless Knave's ability.
- 3Resolve both Ruthless Knave abilities, creating four Treasure artifact tokens.
- 4Activate the four Treasures by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
- 5Activate Apprentice Necromancer by paying , tapping and sacrificing it, targeting Ruthless Knave.
- 6Ashnod the Uncaring triggers, copying Apprentice Necromancer's ability, targeting Apprentice Necromancer.
- 7Resolve both Apprentice Necromancer abilities, returning Apprentice Necromancer and Ruthless Knave from your graveyard to the battlefield, and giving them haste until end of turn.
- 8Repeat.
Ashnod the Uncaring + Goblin Engineer + Corridor Monitor + Commander's Sphere
- 1Activate Commander's Sphere's first ability by tapping it, adding
. - 2Activate Commander's Sphere's second ability by sacrificing it, causing you to draw a card.
- 3Activate Goblin Engineer by paying , tapping and sacrificing Corridor Monitor, targeting Commander's Sphere.
- 4Ashnod triggers, copying Goblin Engineer's ability, targeting Corridor Monitor.
- 5Resolve the first Goblin Engineer ability, returning Corridor Monitor from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 6Corridor Monitor enters the battlefield, untapping Goblin Engineer.
- 7Resolve the second Goblin Engineer ability, returning Commander Sphere from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 8Repeat until you choose to stop or until you have no cards remaining in your library.
Door to Nothingness + Ashnod the Uncaring + Annie Joins Up
- 1Activate Door to Nothingness by paying
, tapping and sacrificing it, targeting an opponent. - 2Ashnod the Uncaring triggers twice.
- 3Resolve the first Ashnod the Uncaring trigger, copying the Door to Nothingness ability, targeting an opponent.
- 4Resolve the Door to Nothingness ability created in step 3, causing the targeted opponent to lose the game.
- 5Resolve the second Ashnod the Uncaring trigger, copying the Door to Nothingness ability, targeting an opponent.
- 6Resolve the Door to Nothingness ability created in step 5, causing the targeted opponent to lose the game.
- 7Resolve the Door to Nothingness ability in step 1, causing the targeted opponent to lose the game.
Ashnod the Uncaring + Manifold Key + Bolas's Citadel
- 1Activate Bolas's Citadel by tapping it and sacrificing ten other nonland permanents you control.
- 2Ashnod the Uncaring triggers, copying Bolas's Citadel's ability.
- 3Resolve both Bolas's Citadel abilities, causing each opponent to lose 20 life.
- 4Each opponent that had 20 or less life loses the game due to having 0 or less life.
- 5Activate Manifold Key's first ability by paying
and tapping it, untapping Bolas's Citadel. - 6Activate Bolas's Citadel by tapping it and sacrificing itself, Manifold Key, and eight other nonland permanents you control.
- 7Ashnod the Uncaring triggers, copying Bolas's Citadel's ability.
- 8Resolve both Bolas's Citadel abilities, causing each opponent to lose 20 life.
Ashnod the Uncaring + Whisper, Blood Liturgist + Corridor Monitor
- 1Activate Whisper by tapping it, sacrificing Corridor Monitor and any other creature you control, targeting any other creature card in your graveyard.
- 2Ashnod the Uncaring triggers, copying Whisper's ability, targeting Corridor Monitor.
- 3Resolve the copy of Whisper's ability, returning Corridor Monitor from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 4When Corridor Monitor enters the battlefield, it triggers, untapping Whisper.
- 5Resolve the original Whisper ability, returning the targeted creature from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 6Repeat.
Ashnod the Uncaring + Whisper, Blood Liturgist + Anger
- 1Activate Whisper by tapping and sacrificing it and another nontoken creature you control, targeting any applicable creature card in your graveyard except Anger.
- 2Ashnod triggers, copying Whisper's ability, targeting Whisper.
- 3Resolve both Whisper abilities, returning Whisper and another creature from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 4Repeat.
Ashnod the Uncaring + Spawning Pit + Pitiless Plunderer
- 1Activate Spawning Pit's first ability by sacrificing a creature.
- 2Ashnod and Pitiless Plunderer trigger.
- 3Resolve the Pitiless Plunderer trigger, creating a Treasure token.
- 4Resolve the Ashnod trigger, copying Spawning Pit's ability.
- 5Resolve both Spawning Pit abilities, putting two charge counters on it.
- 6Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 7Activate Spawning Pit's second ability by paying and removing two charge counters from it, creating a 2/2 Spawn artifact creature token.
- 8Repeat.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Ashnod the Uncaring
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