Kardur, Doomscourge 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
When Kardur enters, until your next turn, creatures your opponents control attack each combat if able and attack a player other than you if able. Whenever an attacking creature dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Complete guide
Kardur, Doomscourge is a master manipulator of the battlefield, forcing your opponents into a chaotic frenzy of combat while you sit back and reap the rewards. This legendary Demon Berserker ensures that even when your opponents are fighting each other, you are the one gaining life and draining their health. By dictating the flow of combat, Kardur turns every attacking creature into a potential liability for your enemies.
Forcing the Fray
When Kardur enters the battlefield, he places a requirement on all creatures your opponents control until your next turn. This includes creatures they already have and any creatures that enter the battlefield after Kardur's ability has resolved. These creatures must attack each combat if they are able to, and they must prioritize attacking players other than you. Note that this does not force an opponent to pay costs to attack (like Propaganda effects) or allow tapped creatures to attack.
Profit from Death
Kardur's second ability is a triggered ability that watches the entire battlefield. Whenever any attacking creature dies—regardless of who controlled it or who it was attacking—the ability triggers. Each opponent loses 1 life, and you gain 1 life. This creates a dangerous situation for your opponents; if they block and kill each other's creatures during the forced combat, they continue to lose life while you stabilize your own total.
Navigating the Attack
The requirement to attack a player other than you only applies if there is such a player available. In a two-player game, or if all other opponents have been eliminated, the creatures will be forced to attack you (or your planeswalkers) because no other legal player exists. Furthermore, if a creature is forced to attack but cannot legally attack another player (perhaps due to a 'Protection from' effect), the controller may then choose to attack you or a planeswalker.
Strategic Timing
Because Kardur's enter-the-battlefield ability lasts 'until your next turn,' it covers the entire rotation of the table. To maximize its impact, you should play Kardur during your pre-combat main phase to ensure you have blockers ready, or use blink effects to reset the requirement every turn, effectively preventing opponents from ever directing their forces toward you.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneWith Roaming Throne on the battlefield naming 'Demon', Kardur's entering ability triggers twice. While this doesn't change the attack requirement, the second ability now triggers an additional time. Whenever an attacking creature dies, your opponents will lose 2 life and you will gain 2 life instead of 1.
Solemn SimulacrumIf you control Solemn Simulacrum and an opponent is forced by Kardur to attack someone else, you can choose to block that Solemn Simulacrum with one of your other creatures if you are the one being attacked (or if the opponent found a way to attack you). However, if an opponent's creature attacks a third player and dies in combat, Kardur triggers. If your own Solemn Simulacrum attacks and dies, Kardur also triggers, draining your opponents for 1 life and gaining you 1 life, in addition to you drawing a card from the Simulacrum's own death trigger.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Kardur, Doomscourge
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Kardur's first ability affects all creatures your opponents control, including any that enter the battlefield after the ability resolves.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature an opponent controls can't attack for some reason (such as being tapped or having come under its controller's control that turn), then it doesn't attack. If there's a cost associated with having it attack, its controller isn't forced to pay that cost, so the creature doesn't have to attack in that case either.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature an opponent controls doesn't qualify for any of the above exceptions and can attack, it must attack a player other than you if able. If the creature can't attack any of those players, or if there are no such players, it must attack you or an opposing planeswalker.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature affected by Kardur's ability could legally attack multiple players and/or planeswalkers, its controller chooses who it attacks.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Kardur's last ability will trigger no matter who controlled the attacking creature and no matter who it was attacking.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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