Melira, Sylvok Outcast — ruling 1

Melira doesn't remove any poison counters you already have or any -1/-1 counters already on creatures you control.

Melira, Sylvok Outcast — ruling 2

Damage dealt to planeswalkers you control causes loyalty counters to be removed from them, regardless of whether Melira is on the battlefield.

Melira, Sylvok Outcast — ruling 3

If a creature with infect enters under an opponent's control after Melira enters, that creature loses infect.

Melira, Sylvok Outcast — ruling 4

It's possible for a creature an opponent controls to gain infect after Melira enters. For example, your opponent could cast Glistening Oil on a creature, and then Melira's ability and Glistening Oil's ability would be applied in timestamp order, with the most recent effect winning. The damage dealt to you by such a creature won't result in you losing life (because the creature has infect) or in you getting poison counters (because Melira stops them). Similarly, damage dealt to a creature you control by such a creature won't result in damage being marked on the creature or in -1/-1 counters. However, abilities that check whether damage was dealt (such as lifelink or Whispering Specter's triggered ability) will still see that damage.

Melira, Sylvok Outcast : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Melira, Sylvok Outcast 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

You can't get poison counters. Creatures you control can't have -1/-1 counters put on them. Creatures your opponents control lose infect.

Complete guide

Melira, Sylvok Outcast is a legendary Human Scout that serves as a powerful shield against toxic strategies. By altering the fundamental rules of how damage and counters affect you, she effectively shuts down poison-based win conditions and keeps your creatures safe from permanent debuffs.

What It Does

Melira provides three distinct layers of protection: she prevents you from receiving poison counters, stops -1/-1 counters from being placed on your creatures, and strips the infect ability from your opponents' creatures. It is important to note that she does not remove counters that were already there before she entered the battlefield; she only prevents new ones from being added.

How It Resolves Step by Step

When Melira is on the battlefield, any effect that would grant you a poison counter simply fails to do so. If an opponent's creature with infect deals damage to you, Melira's third ability has already removed the infect keyword in Layer 6, so the damage is dealt as normal damage. Even if a creature somehow retains infect through timestamp interactions, Melira's first and second abilities act as a hard stop, preventing the resulting poison or -1/-1 counters from being placed.

Common Mistakes

A frequent point of confusion involves timestamps. If an opponent plays an aura that grants infect after Melira is already in play, the creature will technically have infect, but it still won't give you poison counters because Melira's 'You can't get poison counters' rule remains active. Additionally, remember that Melira does not prevent loyalty counters from being removed from planeswalkers you control, as that is not the same as receiving -1/-1 counters.

When to Play It

Melira is a proactive hate-piece best deployed when you anticipate facing decks reliant on the infect mechanic or spells that utilize -1/-1 counters as a resource or removal tool. Because she only costs two mana, she can be dropped early to invalidate an opponent's entire game plan before they can stack up enough poison to threaten a loss.

Interaction examples

Protecting Your Mana Base

Llanowar Elves

If your opponent attempts to place a -1/-1 counter on your Llanowar Elves while Melira is on the battlefield, the effect is simply ignored. Your Llanowar Elves remains a 1/1 creature, allowing you to continue tapping it for green mana without fear of it shrinking or dying to counter-based removal.

Nullifying Infect

Birds of Paradise

If an opponent attacks with a creature that normally has infect, Melira causes that creature to lose the ability. If you block with Birds of Paradise, the attacker deals regular damage instead of placing -1/-1 counters. Because Birds of Paradise has only 1 toughness, it will still be destroyed by regular damage, but Melira ensures no permanent counters remain if the creature survived.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.

How it works : Melira, Sylvok Outcast

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1June 1, 2011· Wizards of the Coast
Melira doesn't remove any poison counters you already have or any -1/-1 counters already on creatures you control.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2June 1, 2011· Wizards of the Coast
Damage dealt to planeswalkers you control causes loyalty counters to be removed from them, regardless of whether Melira is on the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#3June 1, 2011· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature with infect enters under an opponent's control after Melira enters, that creature loses infect.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#4June 1, 2011· Wizards of the Coast
It's possible for a creature an opponent controls to gain infect after Melira enters. For example, your opponent could cast Glistening Oil on a creature, and then Melira's ability and Glistening Oil's ability would be applied in timestamp order, with the most recent effect winning. The damage dealt to you by such a creature won't result in you losing life (because the creature has infect) or in you getting poison counters (because Melira stops them). Similarly, damage dealt to a creature you control by such a creature won't result in damage being marked on the creature or in -1/-1 counters. However, abilities that check whether damage was dealt (such as lifelink or Whispering Specter's triggered ability) will still see that damage.
No other card is named in this ruling.