Baton of Morale 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
: Target creature gains banding until end of turn. (Any creatures with banding, and up to one without, can attack in a band. Bands are blocked as a group. If any creatures with banding a player controls are blocking or being blocked by a creature, that player divides that creature's combat damage, not its controller, among any of the creatures it's being blocked by or is blocking.)
Complete guide
Baton of Morale is a classic artifact that brings back one of Magic's most complex and strategic keywords: banding. By granting this ability to your creatures, you gain unprecedented control over how combat damage is distributed during both the attack and defense phases. It is a powerful tool for players who want to ensure their key creatures survive even the deadliest skirmishes.
What It Does
For two mana, Baton of Morale grants a target creature banding until end of turn. Banding affects two main areas of gameplay: how creatures attack together as a unit and how combat damage is assigned. While it is an artifact, its ability can be used multiple times in a single turn, provided you have the mana to pay the activation cost.
Resolving the Ability Step by Step
First, you activate the ability by paying two generic mana and choosing a target creature. Once the ability resolves, that creature has banding. If you are attacking, you may declare a 'band' consisting of any number of creatures with banding and up to one creature without it. If the creature is blocking or being blocked, the banding keyword allows you, the controller of the creature with banding, to choose how the opponent's creatures assign their combat damage among your creatures.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is assuming multiple non-banding creatures can join a single band; in reality, a band can only contain a maximum of one creature without banding, regardless of how many creatures with banding are involved. Another mistake is forgetting that all creatures in a band must attack the same player or planeswalker. Lastly, remember that banding does not grant evasion; if a single creature in the band is blocked, the entire band becomes blocked.
When to Play It
Baton of Morale is best utilized when you have a high-value creature you need to protect or when you want to force unfavorable trades for your opponent. It is particularly effective in decks that can generate large amounts of colorless mana quickly, allowing you to grant banding to your entire front line before the declare attackers or blockers steps.
Interaction examples
Sol RingYou can tap Sol Ring to add two colorless mana to your mana pool. You then use that exact mana to activate Baton of Morale, targeting a creature you control. This allows you to grant banding to a creature without tapping any of your lands, maintaining your tempo.
Arcane SignetIf you need to grant banding to several creatures for a massive multi-creature band, you can use Arcane Signet to provide the specific mana colors needed for other spells while saving your generic mana sources for the Baton of Morale. This ensures you can activate the Baton multiple times during your pre-combat main phase to set up a lethal, protected attack.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Baton of Morale
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature in combat has banding, its controller assigns damage for creatures blocking or blocked by it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature with banding attacks, it can team up with any number of other attacking creatures with banding (and up to one nonbanding creature) and attack as a unit called a "band." The band can be blocked by any creature that could block a single creature in the band. Blocking any creature in a band blocks the entire band. If a creature with banding is blocked, the attacking player chooses how the blockers' damage is assigned.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
A maximum of one nonbanding creature can join an attacking band no matter how many creatures with banding are in it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Creatures in the same band must all attack the same player or planeswalker.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Baton of Morale
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