Joint Exploration 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
Kicker(You may pay an additional
Complete guide
Joint Exploration is a versatile blue instant from Dominaria United that provides card selection and potential ramp. By utilizing the kicker mechanic, you can turn a simple draw spell into a way to accelerate your mana base at instant speed.
Understanding the Kicker
Joint Exploration has a base cost of {1}{U}. When you cast it, you may choose to pay an additional {G} for the kicker cost. If you do, the spell is considered 'kicked.' Paying the kicker does not change the mana value of the spell, which remains 2, but it does change the total cost to {1}{U}{G} and adds a powerful secondary effect upon resolution.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, you Scry 2, looking at the top two cards of your library and putting any number on the top or bottom in any order. Second, you draw a card. Finally, if the kicker cost was paid, the spell checks if you have a land card in your hand. You may choose to put one land card from your hand directly onto the battlefield. This land placement happens as part of the spell's resolution and does not use up your 'play a land' action for the turn.
Common Mistakes
Players often forget that the Scry 2 happens before the draw. This means you can filter your deck to ensure you draw the land you want to put onto the battlefield with the kicked effect. Additionally, remember that you cannot pay the kicker cost more than once to put multiple lands down; the kicker is a binary 'yes or no' choice during casting.
When to Play It
Because it is an instant, Joint Exploration is best played on your opponent's end step to keep your mana open for interaction. If you need to hit a specific land drop or find an answer, casting it early is fine, but it truly shines when you can react to your opponent's plays and then develop your board right before your turn begins.
Interaction examples
You cast Joint Exploration kicked for {1}{U}{G}. You Scry 2 and see a Forest and a non-land card. You put the Forest on top and the other card on the bottom. You then draw the Forest. Because the spell was kicked, you can now put that Forest directly onto the battlefield.
Beast WithinAn opponent casts Beast Within targeting your creature. In response, you cast Joint Exploration. You resolve the Scry and draw first, potentially finding a protection spell. If you kicked Joint Exploration, you also put a land into play. Then, the stack proceeds to Beast Within, but you have already gained card advantage and mana development.
CounterspellIf you cast Joint Exploration and pay the kicker, but an opponent casts Counterspell, the entire spell is removed from the stack. You do not get to Scry, draw, or put a land onto the battlefield. The extra {G} spent for the kicker is also lost, as the spell failed to resolve.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Joint Exploration
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell's kicker cost was paid, the spell is "kicked."
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The kicker ability doesn't let you pay a kicker cost more than once.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If you put a permanent with a kicker ability onto the battlefield without casting it, you can't kick it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If you copy a kicked spell on the stack, the copy is also kicked. If the copied spell is a permanent spell, the token the copy of that spell becomes when it enters is also kicked.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If a card or token enters as a copy of a permanent, the new permanent isn't kicked, even if the original was.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
To determine a spell's total cost, start with the mana cost (or an alternative cost if another card's effect allows you to pay one instead), add any cost increases (such as kicker), then apply any cost reductions. The spell's mana value remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Joint Exploration
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