Doomskar Warrior 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
Backup 1 Trample Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player or battle, look at that many cards from the top of your library. You may reveal a creature or land card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Complete guide
Doomskar Warrior is a powerhouse from the March of the Machine set, designed to push through damage while keeping your hand full of resources. As a Human Warrior with the Backup mechanic, it can either buff itself or grant its powerful card-selection ability to another ally. This card excels in aggressive green decks that need to maintain momentum into the late game.
Understanding Backup 1
When Doomskar Warrior enters the battlefield, you put a +1/+1 counter on a target creature. If you choose another creature, that creature also gains all the abilities printed below Backup—in this case, Trample and the combat damage trigger—until the end of the turn. If you target Doomskar Warrior itself, it simply receives the +1/+1 counter.
The Combat Damage Trigger
Whenever a creature with this ability deals combat damage to a player or a battle, the ability triggers. You look at a number of cards from the top of your library equal to the damage dealt. You may reveal one creature or land card from those cards and put it into your hand, while the rest go to the bottom of your library in a random order. Note that if you deal damage to multiple targets (like two different players or a player and a battle), the ability triggers separately for each one.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is forgetting that Backup only grants abilities printed *below* it on the card. If Doomskar Warrior were to gain an ability from an outside spell, like Flying, that ability would not be passed to the target of its Backup trigger. Additionally, the number of cards you look at is tied to the amount of damage actually dealt, not the creature's power; if the damage is prevented, you won't look at any cards.
When to Play It
Doomskar Warrior is best played when you already have a creature on the board that can attack immediately. By targeting an existing creature with Backup, you can utilize the card-draw trigger the very same turn Doomskar Warrior enters the battlefield. It is particularly effective when you need to dig for specific creatures or lands to stay on curve.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumYou have Solemn Simulacrum on the battlefield and cast Doomskar Warrior. The Backup 1 ability targets the Simulacrum. The Simulacrum becomes a 3/3 with Trample and the combat damage trigger until end of turn. You attack with the Simulacrum; if it deals 3 damage to the opponent, you look at the top 3 cards of your library and can put a creature or land into your hand. This is in addition to the land you searched for when the Simulacrum first entered.
Eternal WitnessIf your Doomskar Warrior is destroyed, you can play Eternal Witness to return it from your graveyard to your hand. When you cast Doomskar Warrior again on the following turn, you can target the Eternal Witness with the Backup 1 ability. The Witness becomes a 3/2 with Trample and the ability to dig for more cards when it connects for damage.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Doomskar Warrior
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
In some unusual situations (mostly involving damage redirection), Doomskar Warrior may deal combat damage to multiple players and/or battles at the same time. If this happens, its ability will trigger for each of those players and/or battles. Each ability will resolve separately, allowing you to look at a number of cards equal to the damage dealt to that specific player or battle.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a backup ability targets the creature with backup, that creature will get +1/+1 counters, but it won’t gain additional abilities.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If a backup ability causes another creature to gain abilities, the creature with backup will still have those abilities.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a permanent enters the battlefield as a copy of a card with a backup ability or a token is created that is a copy of that card, the order of the printed abilities is maintained.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Backup confers only abilities that are actually printed below it. Any abilities that are gained by the permanent are ignored, including abilities gained due to a resolving spell or ability or copy effects.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
The abilities that backup grants to the target creature are determined only once, at the time the ability triggers. They won’t change if the permanent with backup loses any abilities before the backup ability resolves.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Doomskar Warrior
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.