Emeritus of Conflict // Lightning Bolt 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
First strike Whenever you cast your third spell each turn, this creature becomes prepared. (While it's prepared, you may cast a copy of its spell. Doing so unprepares it.) Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to any target.
Complete guide
Emeritus of Conflict is a powerful Human Wizard that rewards you for chaining spells together in a single turn. By utilizing its unique 'prepared' mechanic, you can repeatedly access its associated Lightning Bolt spell for maximum efficiency and board control.
Understanding Preparation
Emeritus of Conflict features the 'prepare' keyword, which links the creature to an alternative instant or sorcery. When you cast your third spell in a turn, Emeritus of Conflict becomes 'prepared,' creating a copy of Lightning Bolt in exile. You may cast this copy from exile as long as the creature remains prepared on the battlefield. Once you cast the copy, the creature becomes 'unprepared' and the link is broken until you fulfill the trigger condition again.
How the Trigger Resolves
The ability triggers the moment you cast your third spell of the turn. This ability resolves before the third spell itself, meaning the Lightning Bolt copy will be waiting in exile while your third spell is still on the stack. Note that Emeritus of Conflict counts itself if it was cast that turn; however, it must be on the battlefield to see a spell being cast for the trigger to occur. If the Emeritus itself is your third spell, it won't trigger its own ability because it wasn't on the battlefield when the spell was cast.
Common Mistakes and Clarifications
A common misconception is that a prepared creature loses its status if it loses its abilities; however, the rules state it remains prepared even if silenced. Additionally, you cannot be 'doubly prepared.' If Emeritus of Conflict is already prepared and you cast another third spell (perhaps on a subsequent turn), you do not get a second copy of Lightning Bolt. You must cast the current copy to unprepare the creature before it can become prepared again. Finally, remember that the copy of the prepare spell is cast using its own mana cost unless another effect allows you to cast it for free.
Strategic Timing
Since Emeritus of Conflict becomes prepared as soon as the third spell is cast, you can actually cast the Lightning Bolt copy as your fourth spell in the same turn. Interestingly, if you cast the Lightning Bolt copy as your third spell of a turn (after the Emeritus is already on the battlefield and you have cast two other spells), the Emeritus will immediately become prepared again as the trigger resolves, effectively reloading your Bolt instantly.
Interaction examples
Ornithopter of ParadiseWith Emeritus of Conflict on the battlefield and Ornithopter of Paradise providing mana, you cast your first spell of the turn, then your second. When you cast your third spell (any spell), Emeritus of Conflict's ability triggers. Before that third spell resolves, a copy of Lightning Bolt is created in exile. You can now tap the Ornithopter for mana to cast that Lightning Bolt immediately.
Professional Face-BreakerYou control Professional Face-Breaker and Emeritus of Conflict. You attack and deal combat damage, creating a Treasure. You use the Treasure to activate Face-Breaker, exiling a card. If you cast that exiled card as your third spell of the turn, Emeritus of Conflict becomes prepared. You now have a Lightning Bolt in exile ready to be cast, allowing you to use your aggressive momentum to clear blockers or finish off an opponent.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Emeritus of Conflict // Lightning Bolt
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Only the current controller of a prepared creature can cast the copy of its prepare spell in exile. It doesn't matter who owns that creature or who controlled it when it became prepared.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a prepared creature loses all abilities, it won't stop being prepared, and nothing will happen to its alternative characteristics or to the copy of its prepare spell in exile.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Casting a copy of a prepare spell from exile isn't casting it for an alternative cost. Effects that allow you to cast a spell for an alternative cost or without paying its mana cost may allow you to apply those to a copy of a prepare spell cast from exile.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect causes a creature to become unprepared, a prepared creature stops being prepared and the associated copy of its prepare spell in exile ceases to exist. If it wasn't prepared at that time, nothing happens.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Since Emeritus of Conflict will stop being prepared as soon as the copy of Lightning Bolt is cast, casting that copy of Lightning Bolt as your third spell in a turn will result in Emeritus of Conflict becoming prepared again when its last ability resolves.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
A creature without a prepare spell can't become prepared.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Emeritus of Conflict's last ability resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. It resolves even if that spell is countered or otherwise leaves the stack without resolving.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
Preparation cards can only be cast with their base characteristics.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
Being prepared isn't a copiable value. If a permanent becomes a copy of a prepared creature, it won't be prepared. That permanent will have the alternative characteristics, though, and some other effect could cause it to become prepared later.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
A creature with a prepare spell can't become prepared more than once at the same time. For example, Emeritus of Ideation is on the battlefield and is prepared. When it attacks, its last ability triggers. When that ability resolves, its controller may still exile eight cards from their graveyard, but doing so won't cause Emeritus of Ideation to become prepared a second time or create a second copy of Ancestral Recall in exile.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
As an effect causes a creature with a prepare spell to become prepared (including effects that state that a creature "enters prepared"), that creature's controller creates a copy of that creature's prepare spell in exile. That copy remains in exile for as long as that permanent is on the battlefield and is prepared. That creature's controller may cast that copy as long as it remains in exile. As they cast it, that creature stops being prepared.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
Emeritus of Conflict's last ability will count any spells you've cast this turn, which may include Emeritus of Conflict itself. It doesn't matter if the other spells resolved, didn't resolve, were countered, or are still on the stack. If Emeritus of Conflict was the second spell you cast this turn, the next spell you cast this turn is your third spell. If Emeritus of Conflict is your third spell in a turn, it's not on the battlefield for its triggered ability to trigger, and it will not trigger for further spells cast after it that turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #13· Wizards of the Coast
If a prepared creature stops being a creature, it will still be prepared, and the copy of its prepare spell will remain in exile. That permanent's controller will still be able to cast it. The same is true if a prepared creature becomes a copy of something else, even if it's then a permanent without a prepare spell.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #14· Wizards of the Coast
If a prepare spell with one or more targets has no legal targets when it tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. Since the spell was cast, the associated permanent will still not be prepared.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #15· Wizards of the Coast
A preparation card is a creature card in every zone. For example, while it's in your graveyard, Emeritus of Ideation is a blue creature whose mana value is 5. It can't be the target of Zealous Lorecaster's triggered ability ("When this creature enters, return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.").
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #16· Wizards of the Coast
Creating a copy of a creature's prepare spell in exile ignores copy exceptions applied to that creature that would affect the copiable values of that spell. For example, say a player casts Croaking Counterpart (a sorcery that says "Create a token that's a copy of target non-Frog creature, except it's a 1/1 green Frog.") targeting Goblin Glasswright. The token copy of Goblin Glasswright will enter prepared as a 1/1 green Frog creature, but the copy of Craft with Pride in exile will still be a red sorcery. The copy of Craft with Pride won't be green, a creature, or a Frog, and it won't have power or toughness.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #17· Wizards of the Coast
While copies of spells in zones other than the stack cease to exist when state-based actions are checked, this does not apply to copies of prepare spells in exile that were created as a creature became prepared.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #18· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect instructs you to choose a card name, you may choose the alternative prepare spell's name. Consider only the alternative characteristics to determine whether that is an appropriate name to choose.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Displacer Kitten + Biblioplex Tomekeeper + Storm-Kiln Artist + Emeritus of Conflict // Lightning Bolt
- 1Cast a copy of Lightning Bolt from exile by paying
. - 2Displacer Kitten and Storm-Kiln Artist trigger.
- 3Resolve the Storm-Kiln Artist trigger, creating a Treasure token.
- 4Resolve the Displacer Kitten trigger, flickering Biblioplex Tomekeeper.
- 5When Biblioplex Tomekeeper enters, it triggers, preparing Emeritus of Conflict.
- 6Activate the Treasure token by tapping and sacrificing it, adding
- 7Repeat.
Displacer Kitten + Biblioplex Tomekeeper + Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty + Emeritus of Conflict // Lightning Bolt
- 1Cast a copy of Lightning Bolt from exile by paying .
- 2Displacer Kitten and Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty trigger.
- 3Resolve the Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty trigger, adding .
- 4Resolve the Displacer Kitten trigger, flickering Biblioplex Tomekeeper.
- 5When Biblioplex Tomekeeper enters, it triggers, preparing Emeritus of Conflict.
- 6Repeat.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Emeritus of Conflict // Lightning Bolt
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