Horn of Valhalla // Ysgard's Call 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
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 for each creature you control. EquipCreate X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens. (Then exile this card. You may cast the artifact later from exile.)
Complete guide
Horn of Valhalla // Ysgard's Call is a versatile two-part card from the Battle for Baldur's Gate set that provides both an immediate army and long-term power. It utilizes the Adventure mechanic, allowing you to deploy soldiers before equipping them with the horn itself. This flexibility makes it a staple for white decks looking to go wide and tall simultaneously.
What It Does
This card functions in two phases: the Adventure, Ysgard's Call, and the Equipment, Horn of Valhalla. Ysgard's Call is a sorcery that creates X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens. Once this sorcery resolves, the card is exiled, allowing you to later cast the Horn of Valhalla artifact. The Equipment itself provides a scaling power and toughness bonus to the equipped creature based on the total number of creatures you control.
How It Resolves Step by Step
1. Casting the Adventure: You pay {X}{W}{W} to cast Ysgard's Call. 2. Creation: On resolution, you create X 1/1 Soldier tokens. 3. The Exile Clause: As Ysgard's Call resolves, it is placed into the exile zone instead of the graveyard. 4. Casting the Permanent: While in exile, you may cast Horn of Valhalla by paying {1}{W}. 5. Equipping: Once the artifact is on the battlefield, pay {3} to attach it to a creature. It will immediately check how many creatures you control to determine the stat bonus.
Common Mistakes
A common error is forgetting that the card only goes to exile if the Adventure spell resolves. If Ysgard's Call is countered, the card goes to the graveyard and you cannot cast the Horn later. Additionally, remember that while in your library or graveyard, the card only has the characteristics of the artifact (a mana value of 2); you cannot search for it as a sorcery.
When to Play It
You should play the Adventure side early to mid-game when you have extra mana to build a board state. The artifact side is most effective once you have a large army, as the +1/+1 bonus scales linearly with every Soldier token you created earlier. It is particularly strong in 'Tokens' or 'Equipment' themed decks.
Interaction examples
Open the Armory
Horn of Valhalla // Ysgard's CallIf you cast Open the Armory, you can search your library for Horn of Valhalla // Ysgard's Call. Even though the card has an Adventure side, it is still an Equipment card in your library, making it a legal target for the search.
Sevinne's ReclamationIf Horn of Valhalla // Ysgard's Call is in your graveyard, its mana value is 2. You can use Sevinne's Reclamation to return it directly to the battlefield. Note that you only return the artifact side; you cannot use this to cast the Ysgard's Call adventure from the graveyard.
SoldierSuppose you cast Ysgard's Call for X=3, creating three Soldier tokens. Later, you cast Horn of Valhalla and equip it to one of those Soldiers. If you control no other creatures, the equipped Soldier gets +3/+3 because you control three total creatures.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Horn of Valhalla // Ysgard's Call
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
An adventurer card is a permanent card in every zone except the stack, as well as while on the stack if not cast as an Adventure. Ignore its alternative characteristics in those cases. For example, while it’s in your graveyard, Altar of Bhaal is an artifact card whose mana value is 2.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
When casting a spell as an Adventure, use the alternative characteristics and ignore all of the card’s normal characteristics. The spell’s color, mana cost, mana value, and so on are determined by only those alternative characteristics. If the spell leaves the stack, it immediately resumes using its normal characteristics.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If you cast an adventurer card as an Adventure, use only its alternative characteristics to determine whether it’s legal to cast that spell.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell is cast as an Adventure, its controller exiles it instead of putting it into its owner’s graveyard as it resolves. For as long as it remains exiled, that player may cast it as a permanent spell. If an Adventure spell leaves the stack in any way other than resolving (most likely by being countered or by failing to resolve because its targets have all become illegal), that card won’t be exiled and the spell’s controller won’t be able to cast it as a permanent later.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If an adventurer card ends up in exile for any other reason than by exiling itself while resolving, it won’t give you permission to cast it as a permanent spell.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
You must still follow any relevant timing rules for the permanent spell you cast from exile. Normally, you’ll be able to cast it only during your main phase while the stack is empty.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect copies an Adventure spell, that copy is exiled as it resolves. It ceases to exist as a state-based action; it’s not possible to cast the copy from exile.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
An effect may refer to a card, spell, or permanent that “has an Adventure.” This refers to a card, spell, or permanent that has an adventurer card’s set of alternative characteristics, even if they’re not being used and even if that card was never cast as an Adventure.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
If an object becomes a copy of an object that has an Adventure, the copy also has an Adventure. If it changes zones, it will either cease to exist (if it’s a token) or cease to be a copy (if it’s a nontoken permanent), and so you won’t be able to cast it as an Adventure.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect instructs you to choose a card name, you may choose the alternative Adventure name. Consider only the alternative characteristics to determine whether that is an appropriate name to choose.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
Casting a card as an Adventure isn’t casting it for an alternative cost. Effects that allow you to cast a spell for an alternative cost or without paying its mana cost may allow you to apply those to the Adventure.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Related cards and tokens
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Horn of Valhalla // Ysgard's Call
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