Maha, Its Feathers Night 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
Flying, trample Ward—Discard a card. Creatures your opponents control have base toughness 1.
Complete guide
Maha, Its Feathers Night is a terrifying presence on the battlefield that turns even the mightiest foes into fragile shadows of their former selves. This legendary Elemental Bird dominates the sky while forcing your opponents to navigate a world where their creatures are perpetually on the brink of death.
Setting the Base Toughness
Maha's final ability is a continuous effect that functions in Layer 7b. It sets the base toughness of all creatures your opponents control to 1. This overwrites the toughness printed on their cards and any previous effects that set their toughness to a specific value. However, it does not prevent toughness from being modified later by counters, equipment, or 'gets +X/+X' effects.
Step-by-Step Resolution
1. Maha, Its Feathers Night enters the battlefield. 2. Its static ability immediately applies to the battlefield state; no player can respond to this transition. 3. Any opponent's creature currently on the field, or entering later, has its toughness calculated starting at 1. 4. Apply any active +1/+1 counters or continuous buffs (like +2/+2). If a creature has no buffs and its base is 1, a single point of damage will destroy it.
Common Mistakes
A common misconception is that Maha's ability removes counters or 'until end of turn' buffs. It does not. If an opponent has a creature with two +1/+1 counters, Maha sets the base to 1, and the counters then add 2, resulting in a 3-toughness creature. Additionally, if an opponent plays a spell that specifically sets a creature's base toughness to another value after Maha is already on the field, that new effect will take precedence due to timestamp rules.
Strategic Timing
Maha is best utilized in decks that can deal small amounts of global damage or use -1/-1 effects. Since it sets base toughness to 1, any effect that gives creatures -1/-1 will effectively clear your opponents' entire board. Its Ward ability also makes it difficult for opponents to remove without losing card advantage, ensuring the toughness reduction stays in effect.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumWhen your opponent controls Solemn Simulacrum while you have Maha, Its Feathers Night on the battlefield, the Golem's base toughness becomes 1. Despite being a 2/2 normally, it is now a 2/1. If it blocks or is dealt 1 damage, it will die, allowing the opponent to draw a card but losing their blocker easily.
Roaming ThroneIf an opponent controls Roaming Throne, its base stats are normally 4/4. With Maha on your side, the Throne becomes a 4/1. Note that Roaming Throne's Ward {2} and Maha's Ward—Discard a card are separate; targeting Maha still requires discarding, and targeting the Throne still requires paying 2 mana, regardless of their changed stats.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Maha, Its Feathers Night
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Maha’s last ability overwrites all previous effects that set those creatures’ base toughness to specific values. Any toughness-setting effects that start to apply afterward will overwrite this effect.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Effects that modify a creature’s power and/or toughness, such as the effect of Overprotect, will apply to the creature no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for counters that change its power and/or toughness and effects that switch its power and toughness.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Toxrill, the Corrosive + Maha, Its Feathers Night
- 1At the beginning of your end step, Toxrill's first ability triggers, putting a slime counter on each creature your opponents control.
- 2Because your opponents' creatures are now 0/0 due to Maha and Toxrill's static effects, the creatures die as a state-based action due to having zero toughness unless there is an effect boosting their toughness.
- 3Repeat during each of your end steps.
Maha, Its Feathers Night + Pestilence
- 1During any turn, activate Pestilence by paying
, dealing 1 damage to each creature and each player. - 2Each creature your opponents control dies as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness.
- 3Repeat each turn as desired.
Maha, Its Feathers Night + Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
- 1All creatures your opponents control will have base toughness 0, and die as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness unless there is another effect increasing its toughness.
- 2Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, it will have base toughness 0, and die as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness unless there is another effect increasing its toughness.
Maha, Its Feathers Night + M.O.D.O.K.
- 1All creatures your opponents control will have base toughness 0, and die as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness unless there is another effect increasing its toughness.
- 2Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, it will have base toughness 0, and die as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness unless there is another effect increasing its toughness.
Goblin Sharpshooter + Maha, Its Feathers Night
- 1Activate Goblin Sharpshooter by tapping it, dealing 1 damage to a creature an opponent controls.
- 2The creature dealt damage dies as a state based action due to having 1 toughness and 1 damage dealt to it, triggering Goblin Sharpshooter, untapping Goblin Sharpshooter.
- 3Repeat as desired.
- 4You may also repeat this loop whenever a creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control.
Maha, Its Feathers Night + Pestilence Demon
- 1During any turn, activate Pestilence Demon by paying , dealing 1 damage to each creature and each player.
- 2Each creature your opponents control dies as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness.
- 3Repeat each turn as desired.
Maha, Its Feathers Night + Pyrohemia
- 1During any turn, activate Pyrohemia by paying
, dealing 1 damage to each creature and each player. - 2Each creature your opponents control dies as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness.
- 3Repeat each turn as desired.
Maha, Its Feathers Night + Crovax, Ascendant Hero
- 1All nonwhite creatures your opponents control will have base toughness 0, and die as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness unless there is another effect increasing its toughness.
- 2Whenever a nonwhite creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, it will have base toughness 0, and die as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness unless there is another effect increasing its toughness.
Legal formats
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