Hanweir BattlementsHow it works & interactions with other cards

Granting Haste and Producing Mana

At its core, Hanweir Battlements serves two immediate functions. It taps to add colorless mana, helping you stay on curve for your bigger spells. By paying one red mana and tapping it, you can give any target creature haste until the end of the turn. This is particularly effective for creatures that have just entered the battlefield or for your Meld partner, Hanweir Garrison, to ensure it can attack immediately.

Melding into the Writhing Township

To activate the meld ability, you must pay five mana (including two red) and tap the Battlements. You must both own and control Hanweir Battlements and a creature named Hanweir Garrison. Upon resolution, both cards are exiled and return to the battlefield merged as Hanweir, the Writhing Township. Because the melded creature is a new object, it enters the battlefield with haste, allowing it to attack or tap for abilities right away.

Common Timing Mistakes

A common mistake is forgetting that the meld ability can only be activated when you have priority during your own turn (at sorcery speed). Additionally, note that while the tokens created by the Garrison or the Township are 'attacking,' they were never 'declared as attackers.' This means they will not trigger other 'whenever a creature attacks' abilities from cards you might control.

Strategic Deployment

The best time to play Hanweir Battlements is early in the game to establish your mana base, or late in the game when you have Hanweir Garrison ready to swing. Using the haste ability on the Garrison the same turn it is played forces your opponent to deal with the generated Human tokens immediately, putting them on a much faster clock.

Interaction examples

Fast Deployment with Hanweir Garrison

Hanweir Garrison

You have Hanweir Battlements on the field. You cast Hanweir Garrison. After it resolves, you tap one red mana and Hanweir Battlements to target the Garrison. The Garrison gains haste, allowing you to move to the combat phase and attack immediately, which triggers the Garrison's ability to create two 1/1 red Human tokens.

The Meld Transformation

Hanweir Garrison

With both Hanweir Battlements and Hanweir Garrison under your control, and having access to five mana, you activate the Battlements' third ability. Both cards are exiled. They return as Hanweir, the Writhing Township. Since the Township has haste, you can immediately attack with this 7/4 Eldrazi, creating two 3/2 Eldrazi Horror tokens in the process.

Mana Fixing for Meld

Command TowerExotic Orchard

To meld successfully, you need specific colors. You can use Command Tower or Exotic Orchard to produce the red mana required for the Battlements' activation. Once you have the necessary red mana and the Garrison on the field, the Battlements can facilitate the transformation into the Township.