Forbidding Watchtower 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 land enters tapped.: Add
.
Complete guide
Forbidding Watchtower is a classic 'man-land' that provides both defense and utility to your mana base. While it primarily produces white mana, its ability to transform into a high-toughness blocker makes it a resilient piece of any control or soldier-themed deck.
A Land with a Hidden Guard
Forbidding Watchtower enters the battlefield tapped, meaning you cannot use it the turn you play it. Once active, it functions as a basic source of white mana. However, for the cost of one generic and one white mana, it transforms into a 1/5 white Soldier creature. It retains its 'land' card type, which means it can be affected by both creature removal and land destruction while animated.
Animation Mechanics
When you activate the ability, the Watchtower becomes a creature until the end of the current turn. If you activate this ability multiple times in one turn, the most recent activation will set its base power and toughness to 1/5, overriding other specific P/T setting effects. Crucially, a permanent must be under your control since the start of your turn to attack or tap for mana as a creature; this is true even if it only recently became a creature.
Strategic Timing
Common mistakes involve forgetting that the Watchtower is still a land while it is a creature. If an opponent casts a spell that destroys a land, your animated Watchtower is a legal target. Conversely, its high toughness makes it an excellent surprise blocker against aggressive decks. You can tap other lands for mana, activate the Watchtower, and block a creature with power 4 or less without losing your land.
Interaction examples
Command TowerYou have both lands on the battlefield. Your opponent attacks with a 4/4 creature. You tap Command Tower and one other source to pay the {1}{W} cost for Forbidding Watchtower. It becomes a 1/5 Soldier. You then declare it as a blocker. Because its toughness is 5, it survives the combat, and you keep your land for the next turn.
Exotic OrchardIf your opponent controls a Plains, your Exotic Orchard can tap for white mana. You can use that white mana to activate the Forbidding Watchtower. If you just played the Watchtower this turn, remember that even if you animate it, it cannot attack or tap for mana because it has not been under your control since the turn began.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Forbidding Watchtower
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Activating the ability that turns it into a creature while it’s already a creature will override any effects that set its power and/or toughness to a specific number. However, any effect that raises or lowers power and/or toughness (such as the effect created by Giant Growth, Glorious Anthem, or a +1/+1 counter) will continue to apply.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
A noncreature permanent that turns into a creature can attack, and its
abilities can be activated, only if its controller has continuously controlled that permanent since the beginning of their most recent turn. It doesn’t matter how long the permanent has been a creature.No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Forbidding Watchtower
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.