Maralen, Fae Ascendant 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 Whenever Maralen or another Elf or Faerie you control enters, exile the top two cards of target opponent's library. Once each turn, you may cast a spell with mana value less than or equal to the number of Elves and Faeries you control from among cards exiled with Maralen this turn without paying its mana cost.
Complete guide
Maralen, Fae Ascendant is a powerful new addition for Elf and Faerie tribal decks, offering a unique blend of library disruption and card advantage. By exiling your opponent's resources and casting them for free, you can turn their own deck against them while expanding your board.
Exiling the Opposition
Maralen's first ability triggers whenever she or another Elf or Faerie you control enters the battlefield. You target an opponent, and they must exile the top two cards of their library. This ability scales significantly with cards that allow multiple creatures to enter at once, as each qualifying creature generates its own trigger to deplete the opponent's library.
Casting for Free
The second ability allows you to cast one spell per turn from the cards exiled with Maralen that turn. The restriction is that the spell's mana value must be less than or equal to the total number of Elves and Faeries you currently control. Because you are casting it 'without paying its mana cost,' you cannot pay other alternative costs, but you must pay mandatory additional costs. If the spell has {X} in its cost, X must be 0.
Common Mistakes
A common error is trying to cast cards exiled on a previous turn; you may only cast spells exiled by Maralen during the current turn. Additionally, remember that Maralen herself counts toward the total number of Elves and Faeries you control. If Maralen leaves the battlefield, you lose the ability to cast those exiled cards, even if she returns later in the same turn, as the new Maralen is a different object.
When to Play Maralen
Maralen is best played when you already have a small board presence of Elves or Faeries to immediately enable her free-casting ability. Since her trigger occurs when she enters, you will exile two cards right away, potentially giving you a free spell to cast during your second main phase if you have enough tribal members to meet the mana value requirement.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneWhen Roaming Throne enters the battlefield, you choose 'Elf' or 'Faerie.' Because the Throne becomes that type, Maralen's ability triggers. Furthermore, Roaming Throne's static ability causes Maralen's triggers to fire an additional time. Each time an Elf or Faerie enters, your opponent will exile four cards instead of two, giving you a wider selection of spells to cast for free.
Solemn SimulacrumSuppose Maralen enters the battlefield and exiles Solemn Simulacrum from your opponent's library. If you control at least four Elves or Faeries (including Maralen), you can cast the Simulacrum for free. When it enters, you search for a basic land from your library, not your opponent's, providing you with ramp and a blocker using their card.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Maralen, Fae Ascendant
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If an exiled card has
in its mana cost, X is 0 for the purpose of determining its mana value.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If the spell you cast has
in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Since you are using an alternative cost to cast the spell, you can't pay any other alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If Maralen enters at the same time as one or more other Elves or Faeries you control, its first ability will trigger for each of those other Elves and Faeries as well as itself.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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