Atarka Pummeler 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
Formidable —: Creatures you control gain menace until end of turn. Activate only if creatures you control have total power 8 or greater. (They can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.)
Complete guide
Atarka Pummeler is a heavy-hitting Ogre Warrior that turns your board into an unstoppable force. By utilizing the Formidable mechanic, it grants your entire army menace, making it significantly harder for your opponents to defend their life totals.
Unlocking Formidable
The Formidable ability on Atarka Pummeler is an activated ability that checks the total power of all creatures you control. To activate this, your creatures must have a combined power of 8 or greater. Once you pay the cost and activate the ability, it will resolve even if your total power drops below 8 later in the turn due to a creature being destroyed or weakened.
Understanding Negative Power
When calculating your total power for Formidable, you must use the actual power values of your creatures, even if they are negative. If a creature has its power reduced below zero by an effect, you subtract that number from your total. For instance, if you have two creatures with 5 power and one creature with -2 power, your total power is 3, which is not enough to activate the Pummeler.
Resolving Menace
Once the ability resolves, every creature you control at that moment gains menace until the end of the turn. This means each of your creatures requires at least two blockers to be legally blocked. Note that activating this ability multiple times in a single turn does not provide any additional benefit, as having multiple instances of menace is redundant.
When to Activate
Because this is an activated ability, you should ideally use it during your Precombat Main Phase or at the start of the Combat Phase. This ensures your creatures have the menace keyword before your opponent is required to declare their blockers. Waiting until after blockers are declared will not retroactively undo any legal blocks already made.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumYou control Atarka Pummeler (4 power) and Solemn Simulacrum (2 power). Your total power is 6. Because 6 is less than 8, you cannot activate the Formidable ability yet. You would need another 2 power on the board to reach the requirement.
Roaming ThroneYou control Atarka Pummeler (4 power) and Roaming Throne (4 power). As Roaming Throne enters, you choose 'Ogre' or 'Warrior'. Because your total power is exactly 8, you can now pay {3}{R}{R} to give both creatures menace. Note that Roaming Throne's double-trigger ability does not affect Atarka Pummeler because the Pummeler uses an activated ability, not a triggered one.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Atarka Pummeler
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Activating Atarka Pummeler’s ability more than once conveys no additional benefit to creatures you control.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If you control a creature with power less than 0, use its actual power when calculating the total power of creatures you control. For example, if you control three creatures with powers 4, 5, and -2, the total power of creatures you control is 7.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Some formidable abilities are activated abilities that require creatures you control to have total power 8 or greater. Once you activate these abilities, it doesn’t matter what happens to the total power of creatures you control.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Other formidable abilities are triggered abilities with an “intervening ‘if’” clause. Such abilities check the total power of creatures you control twice: once at the appropriate time to see if the ability will trigger, and again as the ability tries to resolve. If, at that time, the total power of creatures you control is no longer 8 or greater, the ability will have no effect.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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