Defense of the Heart 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 upkeep, if an opponent controls three or more creatures, sacrifice this enchantment, search your library for up to two creature cards, put those cards onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
Complete guide
Defense of the Heart is a high-stakes enchantment that punishes opponents for building wide boards. By threatening to pull your two most powerful creatures directly from your library, it forces opponents to choose between slowing their offense or facing your best threats.
What it Does
Defense of the Heart features a triggered ability that checks a specific condition at the beginning of your upkeep: do any of your opponents control three or more creatures? If this condition is met, you sacrifice the enchantment to search your library for up to two creature cards and put them directly onto the battlefield. This allows you to bypass mana costs and find game-winning combinations.
Resolution Step-by-Step
First, the ability uses an 'intervening if' clause. This means the condition is checked both when the upkeep starts and when the ability attempts to resolve. As your upkeep begins, if an opponent has three or more creatures, the ability goes on the stack. When it attempts to resolve, the game checks the board again. If an opponent still has three or more creatures (even if it is a different opponent than before), you proceed to sacrifice the enchantment and tutor for your creatures.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is assuming the ability triggers if an opponent reaches three creatures later in the turn; it only checks at the very start of your upkeep. Additionally, if the enchantment is destroyed in response to its trigger, the ability still resolves. You will still search for your creatures, though you won't 'sacrifice' the enchantment since it is already gone.
When to Play It
This card is best used in formats where players naturally play many creatures, or as a tool to deter aggression. Since it triggers at the start of your turn, you can build your deck to find creatures that immediately impact the board or set up a victory for your main phase.
Interaction examples
Garruk's UprisingIf you have Garruk's Uprising on the battlefield and Defense of the Heart resolves its trigger, you can search for two creatures with power 4 or greater. As those two creatures enter the battlefield simultaneously, Garruk's Uprising will trigger twice, allowing you to draw two cards in addition to gaining your new threats.
Doubling SeasonWhile Doubling Season does not increase the number of cards you search for with Defense of the Heart (as those are cards, not tokens), it creates a powerful environment for your new arrivals. If the two creatures you fetch have abilities that create tokens or enter with +1/+1 counters, Doubling Season will apply its replacement effect to those new creatures immediately.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Defense of the Heart
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Defense of the Heart's ability will check if an opponent controls three or more creatures as your upkeep begins. If none of them do, the ability won't trigger at all. If an opponent does, the ability will check again as it tries to resolve. If none of your opponents control three or more creatures at that point, the ability won't do anything. The opponent that controls three or more creatures as the ability resolves doesn't have to be the same opponent that controlled three or more creatures as it triggered.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If Defense of the Heart leaves the battlefield while its triggered ability is on the stack, the ability will still resolve as normal.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Defense of the Heart
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.