Herd MigrationHow it works & interactions with other cards

Understanding Domain and the Token Effect

The primary effect of Herd Migration utilizes the Domain mechanic, which checks for the five basic land types: Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest. When the spell resolves, it counts how many of these unique types are represented among lands you control, and you create that many 3/3 green Beast creature tokens. Note that it does not matter how many lands you have in total; if you control five Forests, your Domain count is only one.

The Cycling Alternative

If you don't have the seven mana required to cast the spell, you can pay {1}{G} and discard Herd Migration from your hand. This is an activated ability that allows you to search your library for a basic land card, put it into your hand, and shuffle. As an added bonus, you gain 3 life. This ability is useful for fixing your mana colors early to ensure your later Domain spells are as powerful as possible.

Step-by-Step Resolution

When you cast Herd Migration, it goes on the stack. Upon resolution, the game checks your current lands for basic types. For every unique type found, one 3/3 Beast token is placed onto the battlefield. If you are using the discard ability, you pay the mana and discard the card as a cost. The ability then goes on the stack; once it resolves, you search, reveal, shuffle, and finally gain the 3 life.

Common Mistakes

A common error is assuming non-basic land types, like Desert, contribute to the Domain count; only the five standard basic types matter. Additionally, remember that the discard ability is not 'Cycling' in the technical sense for card interactions that trigger off Cycling, even though it functions similarly. Finally, if Herd Migration is countered, you do not get any tokens, but the discard ability is much harder to stop as it is not a spell.

Interaction examples

Building the Herd

Herd MigrationBeast

If you control two Forests and one Plains, your Domain count is two. When you cast Herd Migration, you will create two 3/3 green Beast creature tokens. Even though you have three total lands, only two unique basic land types are present.

Surviving the Wipe

Herd MigrationAll Is Dust

If an opponent casts All Is Dust, you will be forced to sacrifice your Beast tokens because they are green (colored) permanents. However, your lands remain on the battlefield because they are colorless. This means if you have another copy of Herd Migration, you can immediately start rebuilding your board presence based on your land types.

Synergizing with Power

Herd MigrationRishkar's Expertise

After casting Herd Migration with a full Domain of five, you have five 3/3 Beast tokens. You can then cast Rishkar's Expertise to draw three cards (the power of your tokens). Note that you cannot use the second part of Rishkar's Expertise to cast Herd Migration for free, as Herd Migration's mana value is 7, which exceeds the limit of 5.