Garnet, Princess of AlexandriaHow it works & interactions with other cards

What Garnet Does

Garnet, Princess of Alexandria is a two-mana creature with Lifelink and a unique combat trigger. When she attacks, you have the option to strip lore counters off your Sagas and convert them into +1/+1 counters for Garnet herself. This not only makes her harder to block and kill, but it also effectively 'rewinds' your Sagas so their early chapter abilities can trigger again on subsequent turns.

Resolving the Attack Trigger

Step one: Declare Garnet as an attacker. Step two: Her ability triggers and goes on the stack. Step three: As the ability resolves, you choose any number of Sagas you control and decide how many lore counters to remove from each. Step four: Count the total number of removed lore counters and place that many +1/+1 counters on Garnet simultaneously. Note that you don't have to remove all counters from a Saga; you can choose just one to repeat a specific chapter next turn.

Common Mistakes

A common misconception is that removing a lore counter will trigger a previous chapter immediately; it does not. The chapter ability only triggers when a counter is *put* onto the Saga. Additionally, if you remove enough counters to take a Saga back to zero, it remains on the battlefield (unlike reaching the final chapter, which usually causes it to be sacrificed). If you remove the final lore counter while the final chapter ability is on the stack, the Saga will not be sacrificed when that ability finishes resolving because it no longer has counters equal to or greater than its final chapter number.

When to Play Garnet

Garnet is best played in a deck featuring Sagas with powerful Chapter I or II abilities that you want to see repeatedly. Since she costs only two mana, she can be deployed early, but you should wait to attack until you have at least one Saga with counters to maximize her growth. Her Lifelink makes her an excellent target for additional buffs, as the life swing she provides grows exponentially with every lore counter she consumes.

Interaction examples

Fast Deployment

Llanowar Elves

By playing Llanowar Elves on turn one, you can accelerate into Garnet on turn two. This allows you to have her ready to attack the moment you play a Saga on turn three, ensuring she starts growing as soon as your Sagas begin their countdown.

Fixing Your Colors

Birds of Paradise

Garnet requires both Green and White mana. Using Birds of Paradise ensures you have the correct colors available early. If Garnet grows large from removing counters, the Birds can also provide a flying blocker to protect your life total while Garnet recovers it through Lifelink attacks.