Mairsil, the Pretender 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 Mairsil enters, you may exile an artifact or creature card from your hand or graveyard and put a cage counter on it. Mairsil has all activated abilities of all cards you own in exile with cage counters on them. You may activate each of those abilities only once each turn.
Complete guide
Mairsil, the Pretender is a powerful Grixis commander that hoards the activated abilities of cards you've exiled with cage counters. By scavenging from your hand or graveyard, Mairsil becomes a versatile toolkit capable of using multiple effects every single turn.
How the Cage Works
When Mairsil enters the battlefield, you may exile one artifact or creature card from your hand or graveyard and put a cage counter on it. Mairsil then gains all activated abilities of every card you own in exile that has a cage counter. These counters stay on the cards in exile even if Mairsil leaves the battlefield, meaning if you cast Mairsil again later, it will immediately regain all the abilities from previously caged cards.
The One-Turn Limit
Mairsil imposes a specific restriction: you can activate each of those gained abilities only once each turn. Even if an ability is countered or its targets become illegal, you cannot attempt to use that specific instance again until the next turn. However, if you manage to flicker Mairsil or have it leave and re-enter the battlefield, it is considered a new object and can use all its abilities once again.
What Mairsil Cannot Copy
Mairsil only gains activated abilities, which are always formatted as [Cost]: [Effect]. It does not gain triggered abilities (starting with 'When', 'Whenever', or 'At') or static abilities. If a card in exile has a linked ability, such as a mana-producing ability that relies on a previous choice, Mairsil may not be able to utilize the full effect unless both linked parts are activated abilities.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumWhen Mairsil enters the battlefield, you may exile Solemn Simulacrum from your hand or graveyard with a cage counter. However, because Solemn Simulacrum only has triggered abilities (entering the battlefield and dying), Mairsil gains zero activated abilities from it. Mairsil will not fetch a land or draw a card.
Roaming ThroneIf you have Roaming Throne on the battlefield naming 'Wizard', and Mairsil, the Pretender enters the battlefield, Mairsil's triggered ability triggers twice. This allows you to exile two different cards from your hand or graveyard and put cage counters on them. Mairsil will then have the activated abilities of both those cards plus any others previously exiled with cage counters.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Mairsil, the Pretender
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The exiled cards remain exiled with cage counters when Mairsil leaves the battlefield. If Mairsil returns to the battlefield, it will see all of those exiled cards with cage counters on them.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If another player gains control of Mairsil, it will have the abilities of only cards that player owns in exile with cage counters on them.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Activated abilities contain a colon. They're generally written "[Cost]: [Effect]." Some keyword abilities (such as equip) are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder text. Mairsil won't gain triggered abilities (which start with "when," "whenever," or "at").
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If an activated ability of a card in exile with a cage counter on it references the card it's printed on by name, treat Mairsil's instance of that ability as though it referenced Mairsil by name instead. For instance, if Mairsil exiles Magus of the Mind, the cost to activate the ability includes sacrificing Mairsil, not sacrificing Magus of the Mind.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If one of Mairsil's abilities doesn't resolve, most likely because its target became illegal before it resolved, it can't be activated again in the same turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If multiple cards exiled with cage counters on them have the same ability, Mairsil will have multiple instances of that ability. Each may be activated once each turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If you have a creature enter the battlefield as a copy of Mairsil, its first ability triggers. You won't be able to activate any abilities before the "legend rule" applies, but the triggered ability will still let you exile another card with a cage counter regardless of which Mairsil you keep.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
If Mairsil gains an activated ability that's normally linked to a non-activated ability of the card it came from, the ability Mairsil has isn't linked to any ability. For example, if Mairsil exiles Prototype Portal, the activated ability creates no tokens at all; it doesn't create Prototype Portal tokens.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
If Mairsil gains an activated ability that's normally linked to another activated ability of the card it came from, those two abilities Mairsil gains are linked for as long as Mairsil remains on the battlefield. For example, if Mairsil exiles Izzet Chemister, cards exiled with the first ability Mairsil gained from Izzet Chemister can be cast if you activate the second ability it gained that way. Izzet Chemister itself can't be cast this way, and if Mairsil leaves the battlefield before activating that second ability, the cards exiled with that first ability are lost forever.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
If Mairsil has a crew ability, creatures can crew Mairsil. It'll become an artifact creature, but its power and toughness remain unchanged.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
If Mairsil has an equip ability, activating it won't cause anything to happen. Mairsil doesn't become attached to a creature. They may remain friends.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Mairsil, the Pretender + Aetherling + Anger + Nevinyrral's Disk
- 1Activate Mairsil using Nevinyrral's Disk's ability by paying
and tapping it. - 2Holding priority, activate Mairsil using Aetherling's first ability by paying
, exiling it and returning it to the battlefield at beginning of the next end step. - 3Resolve the Nevinyrral's Disk's ability, destroying all artifacts, creatures, and enchantments.
- 4Repeat.
Mairsil, the Pretender + Hateflayer + Tree of Perdition
- 1Activate Mairsil using Tree of Perdition's ability by tapping it, exchanging target opponent's life total with Mairsil's toughness.
- 2Activate Mairsil using Hateflayer's ability by paying
and untapping it, dealing damage equal to Mairsil's power to the opponent. - 3The opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Mairsil, the Pretender + Quicksilver Elemental + Gilded Lotus + Staff of Domination
- 1Activate Mairsil using Gilded Lotus' ability by tapping it, adding .
- 2Activate Mairsil using Staff of Domination's first ability by paying , untapping it.
- 3Activate Mairsil using Quicksilver Elemental's ability by paying , causing it to gain all activated abilities of itself until end of turn.
- 4Repeat.
- 5If desired, you may use any of Staff of Domination's other abilities using Mairsil, and then use Quicksilver Elemental's ability to use them infinitely.
Mairsil, the Pretender + Morphling + Gilded Lotus + Quicksilver Elemental
- 1Activate Mairsil using Gilded Lotus' ability by tapping it, adding .
- 2Activate Mairsil using Morphling's first ability by paying , untapping Mairsil.
- 3Activate Mairsil using Quicksilver Elemental's ability by paying , causing Mairsil to gain all activated abilities of itself until end of turn.
- 4Repeat.
Mairsil, the Pretender + Quicksilver Elemental + Gilded Lotus + Horseshoe Crab
- 1Activate Mairsil using Gilded Lotus' ability by tapping it, adding .
- 2Activate Mairsil using Horseshoe Crab's ability by paying , untapping it.
- 3Activate Mairsil using Quicksilver Elemental's ability by paying , causing it to gain all activated abilities of itself until end of turn.
- 4Repeat.
- 5If desired, you may use any of Staff of Domination's other abilities using Mairsil, and then use Quicksilver Elemental's ability to use them infinitely.
Mairsil, the Pretender + Mirror-Mad Phantasm
- 1Activate Mairsil using Mirror-Mad Phantasm's ability by paying , causing you to mill your entire library.
Mairsil, the Pretender + Spikeshot Elder + Tree of Perdition
- 1Activate Mairsil using Tree of Perdition's ability by tapping it, exchanging target opponent's life total with Mairsil's toughness.
- 2Activate Mairsil using Spikeshot Elder's ability by paying , dealing damage equal to Mairsil's power to the opponent.
- 3The opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Mairsil, the Pretender + Sage of Hours + Anthroplasm
- 1Activate Mairsil using Anthroplasm's ability by paying
and tapping it, removing all +1/+1 counters and putting five +1/+1 counters on Mairsil. - 2Activate Mairsil using Sage of Hours's ability by removing five +1/+1 counters, gaining an extra turn after this one.
- 3Move to your next turn.
- 4Repeat.
Legal formats
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