Dwarven PatrolHow it works & interactions with other cards

Understanding the Static Ability

Dwarven Patrol features a static ability that modifies the normal rules of the game: it does not untap during your untap step. Once you attack or use an ability that causes it to tap, it will remain tapped until a specific game action triggers its second ability. This effect applies every turn, so you must rely on its triggered ability or other external untap effects to reuse it in combat.

How the Trigger Resolves

The second ability is a triggered ability that uses the stack. Whenever you cast a nonred spell, the ability triggers and goes on top of the spell you just cast. This means Dwarven Patrol will untap before the spell that triggered the ability actually resolves. Nonred spells include colorless spells, such as artifacts, or spells that contain any colors other than red, provided they do not have red in their mana cost or color indicator.

Common Mistakes: Lands and Colors

A common point of confusion involves what counts as a 'spell.' According to official rulings, lands are never spells; playing a land will not trigger Dwarven Patrol. Additionally, if a spell is multicolored and includes red (such as a Red-Green spell), it is considered a red spell and will fail to trigger the untap ability. Only spells that are purely colorless or composed of other colors work here.

Interaction examples

Artifact Acceleration

Solemn Simulacrum

If Dwarven Patrol is tapped after an attack, you can cast Solemn Simulacrum. Since Solemn Simulacrum is a colorless artifact spell, it qualifies as 'nonred.' The untap trigger goes on the stack above the creature spell. Dwarven Patrol untaps first, and then Solemn Simulacrum resolves and enters the battlefield.

Doubling the Duty

Roaming Throne

If you have Roaming Throne on the battlefield with 'Dwarf' chosen as the creature type, and you cast a nonred spell, Dwarven Patrol's ability triggers twice. While untapping a creature that is already untapped doesn't have an immediate effect, this interaction ensures that even if an opponent tries to tap Dwarven Patrol in response to the first trigger, the second trigger will still resolve and untap it.