Cosmic Intervention 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
If a permanent you control would be put into a graveyard from the battlefield this turn, exile it instead. Return it to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of the next end step. Foretell(During your turn, you may pay
and exile this card from your hand face down. Cast it on a later turn for its foretell cost.)
Complete guide
Cosmic Intervention is a powerful white instant that offers a unique insurance policy for your entire board. Whether you are facing a board wipe or looking to reuse powerful enter-the-battlefield abilities, this card ensures your permanents find their way back home. By utilizing its Foretell ability, you can set up this protection for a discounted cost on a future turn.
What It Does
Cosmic Intervention creates a replacement effect that lasts until the end of the current turn. If any permanent you control would be put into the graveyard from the battlefield, it is exiled instead of going to the graveyard. Then, at the beginning of the next end step, the card returns to the battlefield under its owner's control. Because it exiles instead of dying, 'death triggers' will not occur.
Resolution Step-by-Step
Once the spell resolves, the game watches your permanents. 1. A permanent you control is destroyed or sacrificed. 2. Instead of entering the graveyard, the replacement effect moves it to exile. 3. A delayed triggered ability is created for that specific card. 4. At the start of the next end step, these triggers go on the stack. 5. If multiple permanents were exiled, you choose the order they return. 6. Each card returns to the battlefield one by one.
Common Mistakes
A common error involves tokens. While tokens are technically exiled and create a trigger, they cease to exist as soon as they leave the battlefield and cannot return. Additionally, remember that Cosmic Intervention only saves permanents going to the graveyard. If an effect exiles your permanents directly, like Teferi's Protection might imply through phasing or other exile board wipes, Cosmic Intervention will not intervene because the 'put into a graveyard' condition was never met.
When to Play It
This card is best used in response to a 'destroy all' effect or when you plan to sacrifice your own board for value. Using the Foretell ability allows you to hide the spell from hand disruption and cast it for just two mana later. It is especially potent with permanents that have powerful effects when they enter the battlefield, as they will trigger again when they return at the end of the turn.
Interaction examples
Generous GiftIf an opponent casts Generous Gift targeting your favorite artifact, you can cast Cosmic Intervention in response. When Generous Gift resolves, your artifact is destroyed, but Cosmic Intervention exiles it instead of letting it hit the graveyard. You still get your 3/3 Elephant token, but your artifact will return to the battlefield at the beginning of the next end step.
ForetellOn your turn, you may pay two generic mana to Foretell Cosmic Intervention, placing it face down in exile. This protects the spell from discard spells. On a subsequent turn, even an opponent's turn, you can cast it for its reduced Foretell cost of one generic and one white mana to protect your board from an unexpected removal spell.
Teferi's ProtectionIf you cast Teferi's Protection, your permanents phase out. Phasing does not cause permanents to leave the battlefield or enter the graveyard; they simply 'non-exist' until your next turn. Therefore, Cosmic Intervention would not apply to phased-out permanents because they are not being put into a graveyard.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Cosmic Intervention
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If a token permanent would be put into a graveyard, it’s exiled and then ceases to exist. It won’t return to the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Each permanent that is exiled instead of being put into a graveyard from the battlefield creates its own triggered ability to return itself. Those abilities all trigger at the beginning of the next end step, and you can choose the order in which those abilities will go on the stack. The cards will be returned to the battlefield one at a time as those abilities resolve.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Once Cosmic Intervention resolves, any “When [this creature] dies” abilities of permanents you control won’t trigger for the rest of the turn because those permanents won’t be put into the graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If you return an Aura this way, you choose what the Aura will enchant just before it enters the battlefield. An Aura returning to the battlefield this way doesn’t target the player or permanent it will enchant, so permanents or players with hexproof may be chosen; however, the chosen recipient must be able to legally be enchanted by the Aura, so a player or permanent with protection from one of the Aura’s qualities can’t be chosen this way. If there’s nothing legal for the Aura to enchant, it stays in exile.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Because exiling a card with foretell from your hand is a special action, you can do so any time you have priority during your turn, including in response to spells and abilities. Once you announce you’re taking the action, no other player can respond by trying to remove the card from your hand.
Card named in this ruling
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Casting a foretold card from exile follows the timing rules for that card. If you foretell an instant card, you can cast it as soon as the next player’s turn. In most cases, if you foretell a card that isn’t an instant (or doesn’t have flash), you’ll have to wait until your next turn to cast it.
Card named in this ruling
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If you’re casting a foretold card from exile for its foretell cost, you can’t choose to cast it for any other alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, those must be paid to cast the spell.
Card named in this ruling
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Zethi, Arcane Blademaster + Walk the Aeons + Cosmic Intervention
- 1Declare Zethi as an attacker.
- 2Zethi's last ability triggers, causing you to pay
to cast a copy of Cosmic Intervention, creating a replacement effect that is active this turn. - 3Move to your postcombat phase.
- 4Cast Walk the Aeons with buyback by paying
and sacrificing three Islands, putting the Islands in exile instead of the graveyard and creating a delayed triggered ability due to Cosmic Intervention's replacement effect. - 5Resolve Walk the Aeons, causing you to take an extra turn after this one and returning Walk the Aeons to your hand.
- 6At the beginning of your end step, Cosmic Intervention's delayed triggered ability triggers, returning the exiled Islands from exile to the battlefield.
- 7Repeat each turn.
Related cards and tokens
Legal formats
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