Baton of CourageHow it works & interactions with other cards

Understanding Sunburst and Flash

Baton of Courage features two key keywords: Flash and Sunburst. Flash allows you to cast this artifact any time you could cast an instant, making it a surprise addition to the board. Sunburst dictates how many charge counters it enters with, specifically counting the number of different colors of mana (White, Blue, Black, Red, Green) used to pay its total casting cost. Since its cost is three generic mana, it can enter with zero, one, two, or a maximum of three charge counters depending on the colors of mana you provide.

Step-by-Step Resolution

When you cast Baton of Courage, you first determine the colors of mana spent. Once it resolves and enters the battlefield, the Sunburst replacement effect applies immediately, placing the corresponding number of charge counters on it. To use its activated ability, you pay the cost by removing one charge counter and choosing a target creature. This ability goes on the stack and, when it resolves, that creature gains +1/+1 until the end of the current turn.

Common Pitfalls

A common mistake is forgetting that Sunburst only checks for colors of mana spent, not the total amount of mana. Even if you pay extra mana due to tax effects, the maximum counters Baton of Courage can receive is limited by the number of colors in Magic (five), though its specific cost usually limits it to three. Additionally, if the artifact is destroyed in response to you activating its ability, the ability on the stack will still resolve and provide the bonus to the targeted creature.

Strategic Timing

Because this artifact has Flash, the best time to play it is often during an opponent's turn or during the declare blockers step. This allows you to use the charge counters as a 'combat trick' to help your creature survive a trade or deal lethal damage. Since the ability does not require tapping the Baton, you can use all its counters in a single turn if necessary.

Interaction examples

Color Fixing for Maximum Value

Arcane Signet

If you control an Arcane Signet in a three-color Commander deck, you can tap it for one color, then use two other different colors from your lands to cast Baton of Courage. Because you spent three distinct colors of mana, the Baton enters with three charge counters, maximizing its utility.

Interacting with Hexproof

Swiftfoot Boots

If an opponent's creature is equipped with Swiftfoot Boots, it has hexproof and cannot be targeted by Baton of Courage's ability. However, you can still target your own creature that is equipped with Swiftfoot Boots, because hexproof only prevents your opponents from targeting it, not you.

Single Turn Burst

In a situation where your creature needs a significant boost to survive a high-toughness blocker, you can activate Baton of Courage three times in succession, removing all three counters to give a single target creature +3/+3 until end of turn.