Lwaxana Troi, Charming GuestHow it works & interactions with other cards

Doubling Your Talents

Lwaxana Troi features an activated ability that targets another creature you control. Once activated, she creates a continuous effect that lasts as long as she remains tapped. While this effect is active, any time a triggered ability of the targeted creature triggers, it will trigger an additional time. This is similar to effects like Panharmonicon, but it is specific to one creature and covers all types of triggers, including 'enters,' 'attacks,' or 'whenever' triggers.

Step-by-Step Resolution

To use Lwaxana, first pay two mana and tap her during your main phase or an opponent's end step. You must choose one other target creature you control as the ability is placed on the stack. When the ability resolves, the link is established. During your next untap step, you may choose to leave Lwaxana tapped. If you do, the bonus remains active. If Lwaxana leaves the battlefield, becomes untapped, or if you lose control of her, the effect immediately ends.

Common Pitfalls

It is important to note that Lwaxana Troi only doubles triggered abilities—those starting with 'When,' 'Whenever,' or 'At.' She does not double activated abilities, which are written as 'Cost: Effect.' Additionally, if the targeted creature leaves the battlefield and returns, it is considered a new object and will no longer benefit from Lwaxana's effect until you activate her ability again.

Strategic Timing

Because Lwaxana requires you to skip your untap step to keep her effect active, timing is everything. You should generally activate her ability at the end of your opponent's turn so she is already tapped and ready to double 'at the beginning of your upkeep' triggers. Remember that you can still untap her manually with other card effects if you need her as a blocker, but doing so will break the doubling link.

Interaction examples

Generating Extra Treasures

Professional Face-Breaker

If you target Professional Face-Breaker with Lwaxana's ability, its combat damage trigger will fire twice. When one or more of your creatures deal combat damage to a player, Professional Face-Breaker will trigger once normally and once more due to Lwaxana, resulting in two Treasure tokens instead of one.

Triggered vs. Activated Abilities

Ornithopter of Paradise

If you target Ornithopter of Paradise with Lwaxana Troi, nothing will happen to the mana production. Ornithopter of Paradise has an activated ability (indicated by the colon), not a triggered ability. Lwaxana only interacts with abilities that trigger based on events, so she cannot help you produce double mana with the Thopter.