Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines 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
Vigilance If a permanent entering causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time. Permanents entering don't cause abilities of permanents your opponents control to trigger.
Complete guide
Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines is a powerhouse legendary creature that bends the rules of reality to favor her controller. By doubling your own enters-the-battlefield triggers and silencing those of your opponents, she completely dictates the flow of the game.
The Mechanics of the Mother
Elesh Norn features two primary static abilities that affect triggered abilities. A triggered ability is identified by the words 'when,' 'whenever,' or 'at.' Her first ability looks for any permanent entering the battlefield that causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to fire. If this condition is met, that ability triggers twice. Her second ability is a symmetric lock: it prevents any permanent entering the battlefield from triggering the abilities of permanents controlled by your opponents.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When a permanent enters the battlefield while Elesh Norn is out, the game checks for all triggered abilities. For you, the game identifies the trigger and immediately places a second instance of it on the stack. You choose targets and modes for each trigger independently. For your opponents, the game sees the entry event but Elesh Norn simply prevents their permanents from 'seeing' it, so nothing is added to the stack at all.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
It is vital to distinguish between 'triggered abilities' and 'replacement effects.' Elesh Norn does not interact with abilities that use the word 'as' or 'with,' such as a creature entering 'with a +1/+1 counter' or a player 'choosing a card type.' Additionally, her effect is additive, not multiplicative. If you control two effects that cause an ability to trigger an additional time, the ability triggers three times total, not four.
When to Play Elesh Norn
Elesh Norn is best utilized in decks featuring high-value ETB effects or as a defensive 'hate-piece' against decks that rely on creatures like dockside extortionists or landfall triggers. Because she has Vigilance and a high toughness, she also serves as an excellent blocker while your value engines churn in the background.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumWhen Solemn Simulacrum enters the battlefield while you control Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, its first ability triggers an additional time. You will search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped, and then you will repeat this process for the second trigger, effectively ramping two lands for one creature.
Roaming ThroneIf Roaming Throne enters the battlefield and you choose 'Phyrexian,' it becomes a Phyrexian Golem. Because Elesh Norn is a Phyrexian, her ability and the Roaming Throne's ability will both apply to your other Phyrexian creatures. If another Phyrexian enters, its ability will trigger three times total (once for the event, plus one from Elesh Norn, plus one from Roaming Throne).
If you and your opponent both control Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, and you play a creature with an enters-the-battlefield ability, your ability will trigger twice. However, if your opponent plays a creature with an enters-the-battlefield ability, their Elesh Norn will not help them; your Elesh Norn prevents their creature from triggering any of their permanents' abilities.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Elesh Norn's second and third ability each affects a permanent's own enters-the-battlefield triggered abilities as well as other triggered abilities that trigger when that permanent enters the battlefield. Such triggered abilities start with "when" or "whenever." Some keyword abilities also include a triggered ability that happens when a permanent enters the battlefield, such as For Mirrodin!
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Replacement effects are unaffected by Elesh Norn's abilities. For example, a creature that enters the battlefield under your control with one +1/+1 counter on it won't receive an additional +1/+1 counter.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Abilities that apply "as [this permanent] enters the battlefield," such as choosing a card type with Stenn, Paranoid Partisan, are also unaffected.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Elesh Norn's abilities don't look at who controls the permanent entering the battlefield, only who controls the permanent that has the triggered ability. For example, if you control Elesh Norn and a permanent with the ability "Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, you gain 1 life," a creature entering the battlefield under an opponent's control will cause that ability to trigger twice.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Elesh Norn's first ability doesn't copy the triggered ability; it just causes the ability to trigger twice. Any choices made as you put the ability onto the stack, such as modes and targets, are made separately for each instance of the ability. Any choices made on resolution, such as whether to put counters on a permanent, are also made individually.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If you somehow control two Elesh Norns, a permanent entering the battlefield causes abilities to trigger three times, not four. A third Elesh Norn causes abilities to trigger four times, a fourth causes abilities to trigger five times, and so on.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If a permanent entering the battlefield at the same time as Elesh Norn (including Elesh Norn itself) causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
Similarly, a permanent entering the battlefield at the same time as Elesh Norn (still including Elesh Norn) won't cause abilities of permanents an opponent controls to trigger.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
If a triggered ability is linked to a second ability, additional instances of that triggered ability are also linked to that second ability. If the second ability refers to "the exiled card," it refers to all cards exiled by instances of the triggered ability.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
In some cases involving linked abilities, an ability requires information about "the exiled card." When this happens, the ability gets multiple answers. If these answers are being used to determine the value of a variable, the sum is used. For example, if Elite Arcanist's enters-the-battlefield ability triggers twice, two cards are exiled. The value of X in the activation cost of Elite Arcanist's other ability is the sum of the two cards' mana values. As the ability resolves, you create copies of both cards and can cast none, one, or both of the copies in any order.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
In a Two-Headed Giant game, Elesh Norn does not affect triggered abilities of permanents your teammate controls.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Peregrine Drake + Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines + Venser, Shaper Savant
- 1Activate up to five lands by tapping them, adding at least
. - 2Cast Peregrine Drake by paying
. - 3When Peregrine Drake enters, it triggers twice. Resolve the first trigger, untapping five lands.
- 4Holding priority, activate up to five lands by tapping them, adding at least .
- 5Resolve the second Peregrine Drake trigger, untapping five lands.
- 6Cast Venser by paying
. - 7When Venser enters, it triggers twice, returning it and Peregrine Drake from the battlefield to your hand.
- 8Repeat.
Cloud of Faeries + Archaeomancer + Ghostly Flicker + Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
- 1Activate up to two lands by tapping them, adding at least
. - 2Cast Ghostly Flicker by paying , blinking Archaeomancer and Cloud of Faeries.
- 3When Archaeomancer and Cloud of Faeries enter the battlefield, their abilities trigger twice each.
- 4Resolve the first Archaeomancer trigger, returning Ghostly Flicker from your graveyard to your hand.
- 5Resolve the second Archaeomancer trigger, returning any other instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.
- 6Resolve the first Cloud of Faeries trigger, untapping up to two lands.
- 7Activate up to two lands by tapping them, adding at least .
- 8Resolve the second Cloud of Faeries trigger, untapping up to two lands.
Palinchron + Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
- 1Activate six lands by tapping them, adding at least .
- 2Cast Palinchron by paying
. - 3When Palinchron enters the battlefield, it triggers twice.
- 4Resolve the first trigger, untapping up to seven lands you control.
- 5Activate six lands by tapping them, adding at least .
- 6Resolve the second Palinchron trigger, untapping up to seven lands you control.
- 7Activate Palinchron by paying , returning it to your hand from the battlefield.
- 8Repeat.
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Bloom Tender + Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
- 1Activate Bloom Tender by tapping it, adding at least
. - 2Activate Derevi by paying , putting it onto the battlefield from the command zone.
- 3Put Derevi into your graveyard due to the legend rule, and then choose to return Derevi to the command zone.
- 4Derevi's enters-the-battlefield ability triggers twice due to Elesh Norn.
- 5Resolve the first trigger, untapping Bloom Tender.
- 6Holding priority, activate Bloom Tender by tapping it, adding at least .
- 7Resolve the second Derevi trigger, untapping Bloom Tender.
- 8Repeat.
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Faeburrow Elder + Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
- 1Activate Faeburrow Elder by tapping it, adding at least .
- 2Activate Derevi by paying , putting it onto the battlefield from the command zone.
- 3Put Derevi into your graveyard due to the legend rule, and then choose to return Derevi to the command zone.
- 4Derevi's enters-the-battlefield ability triggers twice due to Elesh Norn.
- 5Resolve the first trigger, untapping Faeburrow Elder.
- 6Holding priority, activate Faeburrow Elder by tapping it, adding at least .
- 7Resolve the second Derevi trigger, untapping Faeburrow Elder.
- 8Repeat.
Urza, Lord High Artificer + Deadeye Navigator + Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
- 1Activate Urza by paying , blinking it.
- 2When Urza enters the battlefield, it and Deadeye Navigator's soulbond ability trigger twice.
- 3Resolve both Deadeye Navigator triggers, repairing it and Urza.
- 4Resolve both Urza triggers, creating two 0/0 Construct artifact creature tokens.
- 5Activate Urza's first ability twice by tapping the Constructs, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Preston, the Vanisher + Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
- 1Activate up to six permanents by tapping them, adding at least .
- 2Activate Derevi by paying , putting it onto the battlefield from the command zone.
- 3When Derevi enters the battlefield, it and Preston trigger twice.
- 4Resolve both Derevi triggers, untapping up to two permanents.
- 5Resolve the first Preston trigger, creating a token copy of Derevi that is a 0/1 Illusion creature token.
- 6Put the nontoken Derevi into your graveyard due to the legend rule, and choose to return it to the command zone from your graveyard.
- 7When the Derevi token enters the battlefield, it triggers twice, untapping up to two permanents.
- 8Resolve the second Preston trigger, creating a token copy of Derevi that is a 0/1 Illusion creature token.
Peregrine Drake + Shrieking Drake + Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
- 1Cast Peregrine Drake by paying .
- 2When Peregrine Drake enters the battlefield, it triggers itself twice due to Panharmonicon.
- 3Resolve one Peregrine Drake trigger, untapping five lands.
- 4Activate those lands by tapping them to add at least .
- 5Resolve the remaining Peregrine Drake trigger, untapping five lands.
- 6Activate those lands by tapping them to add at least .
- 7Cast Shrieking Drake by paying .
- 8When Shrieking Drake enters the battlefield, it triggers itself twice due to Panharmonicon, returning itself and Peregrine Drake from the battlefield to your hand.
Legal formats
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