Birthing Ritual 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
At the beginning of your end step, if you control a creature, look at the top seven cards of your library. Then you may sacrifice a creature. If you do, you may put a creature card with mana value X or less from among those cards onto the battlefield, where X is 1 plus the sacrificed creature's mana value. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Complete guide
Birthing Ritual is a powerful value engine that allows you to upgrade your board state during every one of your end steps. By looking at a deep seven cards, it provides consistent access to the creatures you need to maintain momentum. This enchantment rewards decks built around precise mana curves and enters-the-battlefield triggers.
How the Ritual Triggers
Birthing Ritual has an 'intervening if' clause, meaning it checks for a condition twice. First, the ability only triggers at the beginning of your end step if you control at least one creature. Second, it checks again as the ability begins to resolve. If you do not control a creature at both of these times, the ability will not happen or will do nothing.
Resolving the Search
When the ability resolves, you first look at the top seven cards of your library. After seeing these cards, you choose whether or not to sacrifice a creature you control. If you sacrifice one, you can pick a creature card from the seven you looked at with a mana value equal to or less than the sacrificed creature's mana value plus one. The chosen creature enters the battlefield immediately, and all other cards go to the bottom of your library in a random order.
Understanding Mana Value
The value of 'X' is determined by the mana value of the sacrificed creature as it last existed on the battlefield. If you sacrifice a token with no mana cost, its mana value is 0, meaning you can find a creature with mana value 1 or less. If you find a creature card with {X} in its cost among the seven cards, that X is treated as 0 when calculating its mana value.
Strategic Timing
Since this triggers during your end step, the creature you put onto the battlefield will be ready to lose summoning sickness by your next turn. It is often best to sacrifice creatures that have already provided value, such as those with 'enters the battlefield' abilities, to find larger threats or utility pieces.
Interaction examples
Garruk's UprisingIf you have Garruk's Uprising on the battlefield and use Birthing Ritual to put a creature with power 4 or greater onto the battlefield, the Uprising's ability will trigger. This allows you to replace the card you just 'tutored' onto the field, maintaining card advantage while upgrading your board.
Hardened ScalesSuppose you use Birthing Ritual to sacrifice a small creature to find a creature that enters with +1/+1 counters. If Hardened Scales is on the battlefield, that new creature will enter with an additional +1/+1 counter. While Birthing Ritual doesn't care about the power or toughness of the sacrificed creature, Hardened Scales ensures the new creature is even more impactful when it arrives.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Birthing Ritual
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Birthing Ritual's ability checks if you control a creature at the beginning of your end step. If you don't, the ability won't trigger.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If Birthing Ritual's ability does trigger but you control no creatures when it tries to resolve, the ability will do nothing.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Use the mana value of the sacrificed creature as it last existed on the battlefield to determine the value of X.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If one of the revealed creature cards has
in its mana cost, X is 0 when determining that card's mana value.No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
