Common GoalHow it works & interactions with other cards

What Common Goal Does

Common Goal is a 'one-sided fight' spell that targets one or two creatures you control and one creature an opponent controls. Unlike a standard fight effect, the opponent's creature does not deal damage back. Each of your targeted creatures deals damage equal to its current power to the chosen enemy creature simultaneously.

Resolving the Spell Step-by-Step

First, you choose the targets as you cast the spell: either one or two creatures you control and exactly one creature an opponent controls. Upon resolution, the game checks if the targets are still legal. If only one of your creatures is still on the battlefield, it will still deal its damage. If the opponent's creature is gone, the spell fails to resolve. The damage dealt is based on the creatures' power at the moment the spell resolves, not when it was cast.

Strategic Timing and Common Mistakes

Since Common Goal is a sorcery, you cannot use it during an opponent's turn to stop an attacker. A common mistake is targeting a creature with protection from green or hexproof, which would make it an illegal target. Remember that because the damage is dealt by the creatures themselves, abilities like lifelink or deathtouch on your creatures will apply to the damage dealt by Common Goal.

When to Play Common Goal

This card is best used when you have a high-power creature ready to remove a problematic blocker or a utility creature your opponent is hiding. It is also excellent for ensuring a kill on a high-toughness creature by targeting two of your creatures to hit it at once.

Interaction examples

Single Target Removal

If you control a 3/3 creature and your opponent controls a 2/2 creature, you can cast Common Goal targeting your creature and their creature. On resolution, your creature deals 3 damage to their creature, destroying it, while your creature remains completely unharmed.

Double Team Strategy

If your opponent controls a 5/5 creature and you have two 3/3 creatures, you can cast Common Goal targeting both of your 3/3s and their 5/5. Both of your creatures will deal 3 damage at the same time, for a total of 6 damage, which is enough to destroy the 5/5 creature.

Resource Setup

CultivateFarseek

In a typical game, you might use Farseek or Cultivate in the early turns to ramp your mana. Once you have enough mana to play larger creatures, Common Goal becomes a powerful tool to protect the lead you built with your extra land drops, ensuring your large creatures can remove any blockers the opponent plays.