Ayara, First of Locthwain 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
Whenever Ayara or another black creature you control enters, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life., Sacrifice another black creature: Draw a card.
Complete guide
Ayara, First of Locthwain is a cornerstone for black-based devotion and aristocrat decks, providing both incremental drain and consistent card advantage. As a legendary Elf Noble, she rewards you for filling the board with dark minions and offers a way to convert them into new resources. Whether you are draining your opponents or searching for answers, Ayara ensures your black creatures provide value even in death.
The Power of Black Devotion
Ayara features a powerful triggered ability that triggers whenever she or any other black creature enters the battlefield under your control. Each time this happens, every opponent loses 1 life, and you gain 1 life. Additionally, she has an activated ability that allows you to tap her and sacrifice another black creature to draw a card, giving you a way to utilize tokens or creatures targeted by removal spells.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When a black creature enters the battlefield, Ayara's first ability is put onto the stack. When it resolves, the life loss and life gain happen simultaneously; in multiplayer formats, each opponent is affected. For her second ability, you pay the cost by tapping Ayara and sacrificing a black creature. This goes on the stack and, once resolved, you draw one card. Note that because sacrificing is a cost, your opponent cannot respond to the sacrifice to save the creature once the ability is activated.
Common Pitfalls
A frequent mistake is forgetting that Ayara's sacrifice ability requires another 'black' creature; you cannot sacrifice Ayara to her own ability, nor can you sacrifice colorless creatures like most artifact creatures unless an effect makes them black. Additionally, remember that in Two-Headed Giant, her triggered ability causes the opposing team to lose 1 life twice (once for each player) while you gain only 1 life total.
When to Deploy Ayara
Ayara is best played in decks with a high density of black creatures or token generators. Because she costs three black mana, she is a strong enabler for Devotion strategies. Use her to stabilize your life total against aggressive decks while slowly chipping away at their health, and keep her sacrifice ability ready to fizzle an opponent's 'exile' or 'control' spells targeted at your other creatures.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneIf you play Roaming Throne and choose 'Elf', it becomes an Elf in addition to its other types. While Roaming Throne itself is colorless and won't trigger Ayara when it enters, its static ability will affect Ayara. Now, whenever another black Elf enters the battlefield, Ayara's triggered ability will trigger twice, causing opponents to lose 2 life and you to gain 2 life total.
Solemn SimulacrumWhen Solemn Simulacrum enters the battlefield, Ayara's drain ability does not trigger because the Golem is colorless, not black. Furthermore, you cannot sacrifice Solemn Simulacrum to Ayara's activated ability to draw a card, as the ability specifically requires a black creature sacrifice. This highlights the importance of maintaining a mono-black or heavy-black creature suite to maximize Ayara's utility.
When you cast Ayara, First of Locthwain and she successfully enters the battlefield, she sees herself entering. This immediately triggers her first ability, ensuring that even if she is destroyed right away, your opponents lose 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Ayara, First of Locthwain
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
In a Two-Headed Giant game, Ayara's first ability causes the opposing team to lose 1 life twice, and you gain 1 life once.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Warren Soultrader + Gravecrawler + Ayara, First of Locthwain
- 1Activate Warren Soultrader by paying 1 life and sacrificing Gravecrawler, creating a Treasure token.
- 2Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding
. - 3Cast Gravecrawler from your graveyard by paying .
- 4When Gravecrawler enters, Ayara triggers, causing you to gain 1 life and each opponent to lose 1 life.
- 5Repeat.
Ayara, First of Locthwain + Plague of Vermin
- 1Cast Plague of Vermin by paying
. - 2Resolve Plague of Vermin, choosing to pay all but one life and create that many black Rat tokens.
- 3For each Rat tokens that enters the battlefield, Ayara triggers, causing you to gain that many life and each opponent to lose that many life.
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Ayara, First of Locthwain
- 1Activate Yawgmoth by paying 1 life and sacrificing Ayara, targeting any other nontoken non-Human creature you control.
- 2Ayara dies, triggering its undying ability, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
- 3Ayara enters the battlefield, causing each opponent to lose 1 life and you to gain 1 life.
- 4Resolve the Yawgmoth ability from step 1, putting a -1/-1 counter on the additional creature and causing you to draw a card.
- 5Activate Yawgmoth by paying 1 life and sacrificing the additional creature, targeting Ayara.
- 6The creature dies, triggering its undying ability, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
- 7If the creature was black, it enters the battlefield, triggering Ayara, causing each opponent to lose 1 life and you to gain 1 life.
- 8Resolve the Yawgmoth ability, putting a -1/-1 counter on Ayara and causing you to draw a card.
Acererak the Archlich + Ayara, First of Locthwain + Bontu's Monument + K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
- 1Cast Acererak by paying 2 life.
- 2Bontu's Monument triggers, losing each opponent 1 life and gaining you 1 life.
- 3Acererak enters the battlefield, triggering Ayara and itself.
- 4Resolve the Ayara trigger, losing each opponent 1 life and gaining you 1 life.
- 5Resolve Acererak trigger, returning it to your hand and venturing into the Lost Mine of Phandelver.
- 6Each time you trigger the Dark Pool room ability, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
- 7Repeat.
Acererak the Archlich + Ayara, First of Locthwain + Bontu's Monument + K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
- 1Cast Acererak by paying 2 life.
- 2Bontu's Monument triggers, losing each opponent 1 life and gaining you 1 life.
- 3Acererak enters the battlefield, triggering Ayara and itself.
- 4Resolve the the Ayara trigger, losing each opponent 1 life and gaining you 1 life.
- 5Resolve Acererak trigger, returning it to your hand and venturing into the Lost Mine of Phandelver.
- 6Each time you trigger the Dark Pool room ability, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
- 7Repeat.
Acererak the Archlich + Ayara, First of Locthwain + Bontu's Monument + Defiler of Flesh
- 1Cast Acererak by paying 2 life.
- 2Bontu's Monument and Defiler of Faith trigger.
- 3Resolve the Bontu's Monument trigger, losing each opponent 1 life and gaining you 1 life.
- 4Resolve the Defiler of Faith trigger, giving a creature you control +1/+1 until end of turn.
- 5Acererak enters the battlefield, triggering Ayara and itself.
- 6Resolve the Ayara trigger, losing each opponent 1 life and gaining you 1 life.
- 7Resolve Acererak trigger, returning it to your hand and venturing into the Lost Mine of Phandelver.
- 8Each time you trigger the Dark Pool room ability, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Acererak the Archlich + Ayara, First of Locthwain + Bontu's Monument + K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
- 1Cast Acererak by paying 2 life.
- 2Bontu's Monument triggers, losing each opponent 1 life and gaining you 1 life.
- 3Acererak enters the battlefield, triggering Ayara and itself.
- 4Resolve the the Ayara trigger, losing each opponent 1 life and gaining you 1 life.
- 5Resolve Acererak trigger, returning it to your hand and venturing into the Lost Mine of Phandelver.
- 6Each time you trigger the Dark Pool room ability, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
- 7Repeat.
Acererak the Archlich + Ayara, First of Locthwain + Bontu's Monument + K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
- 1Cast Acererak by paying 2 life.
- 2Bontu's Monument triggers, losing each opponent 1 life and gaining you 1 life.
- 3Acererak enters the battlefield, triggering Ayara and itself.
- 4Resolve the the Ayara trigger, losing each opponent 1 life and gaining you 1 life.
- 5Resolve Acererak trigger, returning it to your hand and venturing into the Lost Mine of Phandelver.
- 6Each time you trigger the Dark Pool room ability, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
- 7Repeat.
Legal formats
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