Merchant of the Vale // Haggle 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
, Discard a card: Draw a card. You may discard a card. If you do, draw a card. (Then exile this card. You may cast the creature later from exile.)
Complete guide
Merchant of the Vale is a versatile Human Peasant that allows you to filter through your deck using both its activated ability and its unique Adventure component, Haggle. This card highlights the flexibility of the Adventure mechanic, letting you cast a cheap instant early on and the creature later from exile. Understanding the timing and zone changes of this card is key to maximizing your resources in a red deck.
Dual Identities
While in your hand, library, or graveyard, Merchant of the Vale is always a creature card with a mana value of 3. You only treat it as the instant spell 'Haggle' while it is on the stack after being cast as an Adventure. This means you cannot use effects that search for instants to find this card; you must search for a creature.
Resolving Haggle Step by Step
When you cast Haggle for one red mana, it goes to the stack. Upon resolution, you choose whether or not to discard a card. If you do discard, you then draw a card. Crucially, as the final part of resolution, the card is placed into exile instead of the graveyard. Once in exile, you gain permission to cast Merchant of the Vale as a creature from that zone at any time you could normally cast a creature spell.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake is thinking you can cast the creature if Haggle is countered. If Haggle is countered or fails to resolve, the card goes to the graveyard, and you lose the chance to cast the creature from exile. Additionally, remember the difference in costs: Haggle allows you to discard a card as part of its effect, but the creature's activated ability requires discarding a card as a cost to even put the ability on the stack.
When to Play It
Haggle is excellent on turn one if you need to dig for land or specific answers, effectively 'saving' the creature for a later turn. The creature itself is a great mana sink in the late game, allowing you to turn excess lands or useless cards into fresh draws using its activated ability.
Interaction examples
Merchant of the Vale // HaggleOn turn one, you cast Haggle. You choose to discard a high-cost card you can't play yet and draw a new card. Haggle resolves and is placed in exile. On turn three, you may now cast Merchant of the Vale from exile for its normal cost of two generic and one red mana.
Roaming ThroneIf you have Roaming Throne on the battlefield with 'Human' chosen as the creature type, it will not affect Merchant of the Vale's discard ability. The Merchant's ability is an activated ability (indicated by the colon), whereas Roaming Throne only interacts with triggered abilities.
Solemn SimulacrumIf you cast Haggle and your opponent uses a spell to counter it, the card is put into your graveyard. You cannot cast Merchant of the Vale from your graveyard. However, if you have Solemn Simulacrum in hand, you might choose to use Haggle to discard the Golem to search for a way to reanimate it, while still intending to cast the Merchant from exile once Haggle resolves.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Merchant of the Vale // Haggle
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
An adventurer card is a permanent card in every zone except the stack, as well as while on the stack if not cast as an Adventure. Ignore its alternative characteristics in those cases. For example, while it's in your graveyard, Giant Killer is a white creature card whose mana value is 1. It can't be the target of the triggered ability of Mystic Sanctuary.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
When casting a spell as an Adventure, use the alternative characteristics and ignore all of the card's normal characteristics. The spell's color, mana cost, mana value, and so on are determined by only those alternative characteristics. If the spell leaves the stack, it immediately resumes using its normal characteristics.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If you cast an adventurer card as an Adventure, use only its alternative characteristics to determine whether it's legal to cast that spell. For example, if Giant Killer is exiled with the last ability of Vivien, Champion of the Wilds, you can't cast it as Chop Down.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell is cast as an Adventure, its controller exiles it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard as it resolves. For as long as it remains exiled, that player may cast it as a permanent spell. If an Adventure spell leaves the stack in any way other than resolving (most likely by being countered or by failing to resolve because its targets have all become illegal), that card won't be exiled and the spell's controller won't be able to cast it as a permanent later.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If an adventurer card ends up in exile for any other reason than by exiling itself while resolving, it won't give you permission to cast it as a permanent spell.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions for the permanent spell you cast from exile. Normally, you'll be able to cast it only during your main phase while the stack is empty.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect copies an Adventure spell, that copy is exiled as it resolves. It ceases to exist as a state-based action; it's not possible to cast the copy as a permanent.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
If an object becomes a copy of an object that has an Adventure, the copy also has an Adventure. If it changes zones, it will either cease to exist (if it's a token) or cease to be a copy (if it's a nontoken permanent), and so you won't be able to cast it as an Adventure.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect instructs you to choose a card name, you may choose the alternative Adventure name. Consider only the alternative characteristics to determine whether that is an appropriate name to choose.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
Casting a card as an Adventure isn't casting it for an alternative cost. Effects that allow you to cast a spell for an alternative cost or without paying its mana cost may allow you to apply those to the Adventure.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
You choose which card, if any, to discard while Haggle is resolving. In contrast, you must discard a card to activate the ability of Merchant of the Vale.
No other card is named in this ruling.
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Meta decks with Merchant of the Vale // Haggle
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