Frostcliff SiegeHow it works & interactions with other cards

Choosing Your Path

As Frostcliff Siege enters the battlefield, you must choose either Jeskai or Temur. This choice happens as part of the resolution of the spell and does not use the stack, meaning opponents cannot respond to the choice itself once the spell starts resolving. If the enchantment enters the battlefield through a method other than casting, or if a permanent becomes a copy of it without an entry choice being made, it will have neither ability.

Jeskai: The Path of Knowledge

Selecting Jeskai grants you a triggered ability that rewards combat. Whenever one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, you draw a card. Note that if your creatures deal damage to multiple players simultaneously—such as in a multiplayer game—the ability triggers once for each player dealt damage. However, if multiple creatures hit the same player, you still only draw one card for that player.

Temur: The Path of Power

Selecting Temur provides a static buff to your forces. All creatures you control receive +1/+0 and gain trample and haste. This effect applies to all creatures currently on your battlefield and any that enter later. Because this grants haste, it is an excellent choice for aggressive decks looking to attack immediately with newly played creatures.

Strategic Implementation

The choice you make is permanent for that specific instance of Frostcliff Siege. If you need to dig for answers against taxing effects, Jeskai is your best bet. If you need to end the game quickly or overcome defensive walls, Temur provides the raw stats and keywords needed to push damage through.

Interaction examples

Breaking Through the Propaganda

Propaganda

If your opponent controls Propaganda, you must pay {2} for each creature you wish to attack with. By choosing Temur for Frostcliff Siege, your creatures gain +1/+0 and trample. While you still have to pay the tax to attack, the trample ensures that even if your opponent blocks with small creatures, the excess damage will still reach the player, making your investment in the attack cost more efficient.

Feeding the Study

Rhystic Study

In a scenario where you choose Jeskai, your goal is to draw as many cards as possible. If an opponent has Rhystic Study, they may draw cards when you cast spells unless you pay {1}. By using Frostcliff Siege to draw cards via combat damage instead of casting spells, you can increase your hand size without giving your opponent the opportunity to trigger Rhystic Study's draw effect.

The Multi-Player Draw

Suppose you are in a four-player game and you have chosen Jeskai. If you attack Player B with two creatures and Player C with one creature, and all three deal combat damage, Frostcliff Siege triggers twice. You will draw one card for the damage dealt to Player B and one card for the damage dealt to Player C, totaling two cards.