Bident of Thassa 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 a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card.,
: Creatures your opponents control attack this turn if able.
Complete guide
Bident of Thassa is a powerful legendary artifact that rewards you for being aggressive while forcing your opponents to follow suit. As the signature weapon of Thassa, it provides consistent card advantage and manipulates the flow of combat to your benefit. This dual-purpose enchantment is a staple for blue mages who want to control the red zone.
Dual Nature of the Bident
Bident of Thassa features two distinct abilities. The first is a triggered ability that triggers whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player. Since it triggers for each creature individually, hitting an opponent with multiple creatures allows you to draw multiple cards. The second is an activated ability that costs {1}{U} and requires tapping the Bident. This forces all creatures your opponents control to attack during their next combat phase if they are physically able to do so.
Resolving the Forced Attack
When you activate the Bident's second ability, it creates a requirement for the upcoming turn. During the declare attackers step, your opponents must check if their creatures can attack. If a creature is untapped and does not have summoning sickness, it must be declared as an attacker. However, the controller of those creatures still chooses who they attack—they can choose to attack you, a teammate, or any planeswalker or battle currently on the field.
Constraints and Costs
A common point of confusion involves costs and restrictions. If a creature is tapped, it isn't able to attack. Furthermore, if there is a cost associated with attacking, the player is not forced to pay it. If they choose not to pay a required mana cost, the creature simply doesn't attack. The Bident also doesn't override effects that say a creature 'can't attack'; 'can't' effects always take precedence over 'must' effects.
Interaction examples
Rhystic StudyYou attack an opponent with three 1/1 tokens while Bident of Thassa is on the field. All three deal combat damage. You get three separate draw triggers from the Bident. If you draw into Rhystic Study, you can cast it in your second main phase to start taxing your opponent's spells after having replenished your hand.
PropagandaYou activate Bident of Thassa to force your opponent's creatures to attack. You also have Propaganda on the battlefield. Because Propaganda imposes a cost of {2} per creature to attack you, your opponent can choose not to pay that cost. If they have no other players or planeswalkers to attack, their creatures will stay put because they aren't 'able' to attack you for free.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Bident of Thassa
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The controller of each attacking creature still chooses which player or planeswalker that creature attacks.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature can't attack for any reason (such as being tapped or having come under that player's control that turn), then it doesn't attack. If there's a cost associated with having a creature attack, the player isn't forced to pay that cost, so it doesn't have to attack in that case either.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Bident of Thassa
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