Faith's Fetters 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
Enchant permanent When this Aura enters, you gain 4 life. Enchanted permanent can't attack or block, and its activated abilities can't be activated unless they're mana abilities.
Complete guide
Faith's Fetters is a versatile white Aura that provides both a defensive buffer and a way to neutralize problematic permanents. By locking down a permanent and providing a significant life boost, it remains a staple for control and mid-range strategies.
Locking Down the Board
Faith's Fetters can enchant any permanent, not just creatures. Once attached, the enchanted permanent is barred from attacking or blocking. More importantly, it prevents the use of activated abilities, which are any abilities formatted as '[Cost]: [Effect]'. This includes keyword actions like Equip or the loyalty abilities of Planeswalkers.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When you cast Faith's Fetters, you choose a target permanent. If the target is legal upon resolution, the Aura enters the battlefield attached to that permanent. This triggers the enter-the-battlefield ability, placing a life-gain trigger on the stack. You gain 4 life only after the Aura successfully enters. If the target becomes illegal before resolution, the spell is removed from the stack, and you do not gain any life.
Understanding Mana and Triggered Abilities
A common mistake is assuming Faith's Fetters stops all abilities. It does not affect static abilities or triggered abilities (which begin with 'When', 'Whenever', or 'At'). Furthermore, it does not stop mana abilities—abilities that could produce mana. If a permanent has an ability that costs mana but does not produce it, that ability is still blocked.
Strategic Timing
Because it targets any permanent, you can use it to stop a land like a creature-land from activating, or shut down a powerful Artifact. Use it early to stabilize your life total against aggressive decks, or save it for a non-creature threat that your other removal spells might not be able to hit.
Interaction examples
Smothering TitheIf you attach Faith's Fetters to Smothering Tithe, your opponent will still create Treasure tokens. This is because Smothering Tithe has a triggered ability ('Whenever...'), not an activated ability. The Aura only stops activated abilities, so the enchantment functions as normal.
Ghostly PrisonApplying Faith's Fetters to Ghostly Prison does not stop its effect. Ghostly Prison creates a static requirement for attacking; it does not have a colon in its text and is not an activated ability. The only benefit here would be the 4 life you gain when the Aura enters.
When cast alone on an opponent's creature, the creature can no longer participate in combat. If that creature had an ability like '{T}: Draw a card,' that ability can no longer be activated. However, if the creature had a mana ability like '{T}: Add {G},' it could still be used.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Faith's Fetters
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If the target permanent is an illegal target by the time Faith's Fetters tries to resolve, it doesn't resolve. It won't enter the battlefield, so its enters-the-battlefield ability won't trigger.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Activated abilities contain a colon. They're generally written "[Cost]: [Effect]." Some keywords (such as equip) are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder text. Loyalty abilities of planeswalkers are activated abilities.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Faith's Fetters doesn't stop static abilities, triggered abilities, or mana abilities from working. A mana ability is an ability that produces mana, not an ability that costs mana.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Faith's Fetters
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.