Court of Locthwain 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
When this enchantment enters, you become the monarch. At the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top card of target opponent's library. You may play that card for as long as it remains exiled, and mana of any type can be spent to cast it. If you're the monarch, until end of turn, you may cast a spell from among cards exiled with this enchantment without paying its mana cost.
Complete guide
Court of Locthwain is a powerful enchantment from Wilds of Eldraine Commander that turns your opponent's deck into your personal resource. By seizing the throne, you not only gain extra card draw but also the ability to cast your rivals' best spells for free.
Claiming the Crown
When Court of Locthwain enters the battlefield, you immediately become the monarch. This status grants you an inherent triggered ability: at the beginning of your end step, you draw a card. However, be careful, as any opponent who deals combat damage to you with a creature will take the crown for themselves. While you hold the throne, Court of Locthwain unlocks its most potent ability, letting you bypass mana costs entirely.
Exiling and Playing Cards
At the beginning of your upkeep, you exile the top card of a target opponent's library. You can play these cards for as long as they remain exiled, even if Court of Locthwain is destroyed. You can spend mana of any type to cast these spells, meaning a Swamp can pay for a Blue or Red pip. If you are the monarch when the upkeep ability resolves, you gain a special permission: until the end of the turn, you may cast one spell from the entire pile of cards exiled by this specific Court of Locthwain without paying its mana cost.
Timing and Restrictions
You must still follow all normal timing rules for the exiled cards; for example, you can only play a land or cast a sorcery during your main phase when the stack is empty. If you choose to cast a spell for free using the monarch bonus, you cannot pay other alternative costs, but you must pay additional costs like 'Kicker' if you want those effects. Also, note that 'mana of any type' refers to the six types: white, blue, black, red, green, and colorless. It does not allow you to use non-snow mana to pay for snow-specific costs.
Interaction examples
Court of Locthwain
Phyrexian ArenaIf you have both enchantments on the battlefield, both trigger at the start of your upkeep. You can choose the order they go on the stack. Typically, you would resolve Phyrexian Arena first to draw a card, then resolve Court of Locthwain to exile an opponent's card. Since you became the monarch when the Court entered, you'll also draw a second card at your end step, effectively netting three cards per turn cycle.
Black Market ConnectionsDuring your upkeep, Court of Locthwain exiles an opponent's card. Then, at the start of your precombat main phase, Black Market Connections triggers. If you create a Treasure token with 'Sell Contraband,' you can use that mana (as any type) to help cast any of the cards currently exiled by the Court if you aren't the monarch or if you want to cast a second spell from the exiled pile.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Court of Locthwain
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
You pay the costs for an exiled card if you cast it. You may pay any alternative costs the card has rather than the card's mana cost.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The six types of mana are white, blue, black, red, green, and colorless. Snow mana is not a type of mana. Court of Locthwain won't let you pay a snow cost using mana produced by a nonsnow source.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The game starts with no monarch. As a player becomes the monarch, the current monarch (if any) ceases being the monarch. There is never more than one monarch at a time.
Card named in this ruling
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
You may play the exiled cards (and spend mana of any type to do so) even if Court of Locthwain leaves the battlefield. If another player gains control of Court of Locthwain, that player can't play the cards, and you still can.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
There are two inherent triggered abilities associated with being the monarch. These triggered abilities have no source and are controlled by the player who was the monarch at the time the abilities triggered. The full texts of these abilities are "At the beginning of the monarch's end step, that player draws a card" and "Whenever a creature deals combat damage to the monarch, its controller becomes the monarch."
Card named in this ruling
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If the triggered ability that causes the monarch to draw a card goes on the stack and a different player becomes the monarch before that ability resolves, the first player will still draw the card.
Card named in this ruling
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If the monarch leaves the game during another player's turn, that player becomes the monarch. If the monarch leaves the game during their turn, the next player in turn order becomes the monarch.
Card named in this ruling
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
If combat damage dealt to the monarch causes that player to lose the game, the triggered ability that causes the controller of the attacking creature to become the monarch doesn't resolve. In most cases, the controller of the attacking creature will still become the monarch as it is likely their turn.
Card named in this ruling
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Legal formats
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Meta decks with Court of Locthwain
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.