Emrakul, the Promised End 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
This spell costsless to cast for each card type among cards in your graveyard. When you cast this spell, you gain control of target opponent during that player's next turn. After that turn, that player takes an extra turn. Flying, trample, protection from instants
Complete guide
Emrakul, the Promised End is a colossal legendary Eldrazi that embodies the terrifying influence of the Void. By warping the very minds of your enemies and offering a massive cost reduction, this creature stands as one of the most powerful finishers in Magic: The Gathering history.
Cost Reduction and Casting
The first thing to notice about Emrakul is her mana cost of 13, but she rarely costs that much. Her ability checks your graveyard for unique card types: artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, kindred, land, planeswalker, and sorcery. For each type present, the cost is reduced by {1}, allowing for a maximum discount of {9}. Note that supertypes like 'Legendary' do not count toward this discount.
The Mind Control Process
When you cast Emrakul, a triggered ability goes on the stack before she even enters the battlefield. You target an opponent, and during their next turn, you make every decision for them. You can see their hand and library (if they are allowed to look), cast their spells, and attack with their creatures. However, to compensate them for this violation, the game grants them one extra turn immediately after the controlled turn ends to regain their footing.
Protection and Combat
Once on the battlefield, Emrakul is incredibly difficult to remove due to 'protection from instants'. This means she cannot be targeted by instant spells or abilities from instant cards, and damage from instants is prevented. Combined with Flying and Trample, she is an inevitable force that can fly over blockers or smash through them to deal lethal damage.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is assuming you can make an opponent concede while you control them; tournament rules prevent this. Also, remember that protection only works on the battlefield. While Emrakul is a spell on the stack, she can still be targeted by an instant-speed counterspell. Lastly, you cannot use your own mana to pay for their spells, or vice versa—you must strictly use that player's resources.
Interaction examples
Emrakul, the Promised End
It That BetraysWhile you control your opponent's turn, you can force them to attack you while you have It That Betrays on the battlefield. If they have creatures with Annihilator or if you force them to sacrifice permanents through their own spells, It That Betrays will trigger, and you will gain control of those sacrificed cards permanently.
Blightsteel ColossusIf your opponent has a Blightsteel Colossus in hand, you can use their mana to cast it during the turn you control. Then, you can make them use a removal spell on their own Colossus. Because of the Colossus's replacement effect, it will be shuffled back into their library instead of hitting the graveyard, effectively wasting their mana and their creature.
The Heron MoonWhen The Heron Moon reaches thirteen release counters, you sacrifice it to create a copy of Emrakul, the Promised End and cast it for free. This cast trigger still occurs, allowing you to take control of an opponent's turn even though you didn't pay the 13 mana cost manually.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Emrakul, the Promised End
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The card types that could appear in your graveyard are artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, kindred, land, planeswalker, and sorcery. Supertypes (such as legendary and basic) and subtypes (such as Human and Equipment) are not counted. The maximum discount that Emrakul’s own ability can provide is
.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Protection from instants means that Emrakul can’t be the target of instant spells or activated or triggered abilities from instant cards, and damage that would be dealt to it by instant spells or cards is prevented. Instant spells may still affect it in other ways; for example, it would still receive the bonus from Rally the Peasants.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Protection abilities only apply while the object with the ability is on the battlefield. Notably, Emrakul may be the target of a spell that targets it while on the stack, such as Syncopate.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
An ability that triggers when a player casts a spell 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.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
The player you’re controlling is still the active player during that turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
You only control the player. You don’t control any of that player’s permanents, spells, or abilities.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
While controlling another player, you also continue to make your own choices and decisions.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
While controlling another player, you make all choices and decisions that player is allowed to make or is told to make during that turn. This includes choices about what spells to cast or what abilities to activate, as well as any decisions called for by triggered abilities or for any other reason.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
You can’t make the affected player concede. That player may choose to concede at any time, even while you’re controlling that player.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
You can’t make any illegal decisions or illegal choices—you can’t do anything that player couldn’t do. You can’t make choices or decisions for that player that aren’t called for by the game rules or by any cards, permanents, spells, abilities, and so on. If an effect causes another player to make decisions that the affected player would normally make (such as Master Warcraft does), that effect takes precedence. In other words, if the affected player wouldn’t make a decision, you wouldn’t make that decision on that player’s behalf.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
You also can’t make any choices or decisions for the player that would be called for by the tournament rules (such as whether to take an intentional draw or whether to call a judge).
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
While controlling another player, you can see all cards in the game that player can see. This includes cards in that player’s hand, face-down cards that player controls, and any cards in that player’s library the player may look at.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #13· Wizards of the Coast
Controlling a player doesn’t allow you to look at that player’s sideboard. If an effect instructs that player to choose a card from outside the game, you can’t have that player choose any card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #14· Wizards of the Coast
You can use only the affected player’s resources (cards, mana, and so on) to pay costs for that player; you can’t use your own. Similarly, you can use the affected player’s resources only to pay that player’s costs; you can’t spend them on your costs.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #15· Wizards of the Coast
Multiple player-controlling effects that affect the same player overwrite each other. The last one to be created is the one that works. If multiple players have cast Emrakul and targeted the same player, each ability’s effect will create an extra turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #16· Wizards of the Coast
In a Two-Headed Giant game, gaining control of a player causes you to gain control of each player on that team.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #17· Wizards of the Coast
If the targeted player skips their next turn, you’ll control the next turn the affected player actually takes, and the extra turn the player takes will be after that turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #18· Wizards of the Coast
If the targeted player loses the game while you control their turn during a multiplayer game, the extra turn never begins.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Emrakul, the Promised End + Erratic Portal + Unwinding Clock + Vedalken Orrery
- 1Cast Emrakul by paying
reduced by its first ability. - 2Emrakul's second ability triggers, causing you to gain control of an opponent's next turn and giving them an additional turn after that one.
- 3Move to that opponent's next turn.
- 4Unwinding Clock triggers, untapping all artifacts you control.
- 5Activate artifacts by tapping them to add enough mana to cast Emrakul, plus an additional .
- 6Activate Erratic Portal by paying and tapping it, returning Emrakul from the battlefield to your hand.
- 7Repeat until the opponent you are controlling each extra turn has lost the game.
- 8Repeat for each remaining opponent.
Triskaidekaphile + Rishkar's Expertise + Emrakul, the Promised End
- 1Cast Rishkar's Expertise by paying
, causing you to draw thirteen cards. - 2At the beginning of your next upkeep, Triskaidekaphile triggers, causing you to win the game.
Triskaidekaphile + Return of the Wildspeaker + Emrakul, the Promised End
- 1Cast Return of the Wildspeaker by paying , causing you to draw thirteen cards.
- 2At the beginning of your next upkeep, Triskaidekaphile triggers, causing you to win the game.
Related cards and tokens
Legal formats
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