Feast of Succession 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
All creatures get -4/-4 until end of turn. You become the monarch.
Complete guide
Feast of Succession is a powerful black sorcery that serves as both a board wipe and a political engine. It provides a significant debuff to all creatures while introducing The Monarch mechanic into the game. By casting this spell, you ensure that the path to your victory is cleared of small threats while you claim the crown.
Claiming the Crown
When Feast of Succession resolves, two distinct effects happen. First, every creature currently on the battlefield gets -4/-4 until the end of the turn. Second, you become the monarch. Being the monarch is a status that grants you an extra card at your end step. However, be warned: if a creature deals combat damage to you, that creature's controller will steal the title of monarch from you.
Timing and State-Based Actions
The spell follows a specific sequence. It applies the -4/-4 modification to all creatures that are on the battlefield at the exact moment the spell resolves. Creatures that enter the battlefield later in the turn are unaffected. After the stat reduction is applied, you become the monarch. State-based actions are not checked in the middle of a spell resolving, so all creatures, including those that would die from having 0 or less toughness, remain on the field until the spell has finished resolving and you have officially become the monarch.
The Persistence of the Monarch
Once Feast of Succession makes you the monarch, the game will always have exactly one monarch until the game ends. If you lose the game, the monarch title passes to the next player in turn order (or the active player if it is not your turn). Importantly, the 'draw a card' ability triggers at the beginning of your end step. Even if someone takes the monarch title away from you after the ability has triggered but before it resolves, you will still draw your card for that turn.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is thinking you cannot cast this spell if there are no creatures to target. Since Feast of Succession does not use the word 'target,' it can be cast even on an empty board simply to become the monarch. Additionally, remember that the -4/-4 is a one-time application; it is not a continuous effect that catches new creatures entering the fray later in the turn.
Interaction examples
You cast Feast of Succession while your opponent has three 2/2 creatures. The spell resolves, giving all three creatures -4/-4. Simultaneously, you become the monarch. Once the spell finishes, state-based actions check the board, see the creatures have negative toughness, and they are put into the graveyard. You move to your end step and draw a card from your new monarch status.
Living DeathYou cast Feast of Succession to clear a board of small tokens and become the monarch. Later that turn, you cast Living Death. Because Feast of Succession only applied the -4/-4 to creatures present when it resolved, the new creatures brought back by Living Death do not suffer the -4/-4 penalty and enter with their full stats.
Blasphemous EdictIf the board is cluttered with many high-toughness creatures, you might first cast Blasphemous Edict to force everyone to sacrifice thirteen creatures. If smaller, pesky creatures remain, you can then cast Feast of Succession. This ensures the -4/-4 hits the remaining targets and secures you the monarch title when you are least likely to be attacked back immediately.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Feast of Succession
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
You can cast Feast of Succession to become the monarch while no creatures are on the battlefield.
Card named in this ruling
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Feast of Succession affects only creatures on the battlefield at the time it resolves. Creatures that enter the battlefield later in the turn won't get -4/-4.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The game starts with no monarch. Once an effect makes one player the monarch, the game will have exactly one monarch from that point forward. As a player becomes the monarch, the current monarch (if any) ceases being the monarch.
Card named in this ruling
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
There are two inherent triggered abilities associated with being the monarch. These triggered abilities have no source and are controlled by the player who was the monarch at the time the abilities triggered. The full texts of these abilities are "At the beginning of the monarch's end step, that player draws a card" and "Whenever a creature deals combat damage to the monarch, its controller becomes the monarch."
Card named in this ruling
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If the triggered ability that causes the monarch to draw a card goes on the stack and a different player becomes the monarch before that ability resolves, the first player will still draw the card.
Card named in this ruling
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If the monarch leaves the game during another player's turn, that player becomes the monarch. If the monarch leaves the game during their turn, the next player in turn order becomes the monarch.
Card named in this ruling
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If combat damage dealt to the monarch causes that player to lose the game, the triggered ability that causes the controller of the attacking creature to become the monarch doesn't resolve. In most cases, the controller of the attacking creature will still become the monarch as it is likely their turn.
Card named in this ruling
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Meta decks with Feast of Succession
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.