Monument to EnduranceHow it works & interactions with other cards

What It Does

Monument to Endurance features a triggered ability that fires whenever you discard a card. It offers three specific modes: drawing a card, creating a Treasure token, or forcing each opponent to lose 3 life. The catch is that each mode can only be chosen once per turn, making the order of your discards strategically significant.

How It Resolves Step by Step

When you discard a card for any reason—such as paying a cost or cleaning up at the end of your turn—the ability triggers and is put onto the stack. As you put the trigger on the stack, you must choose one of the three modes that has not yet been selected during the current turn. Once chosen, that mode is locked in, and the ability resolves, providing the specified benefit. If you have already used all three modes in a single turn, any further discards will still cause the ability to trigger, but it will be removed from the stack immediately with no effect.

Common Mistakes

A frequent error is forgetting that the 'once per turn' restriction applies to the specific modes, not the artifact itself. You can trigger the monument up to three times a turn to get all three effects, but you cannot choose 'Draw a card' twice in the same turn. Additionally, remember that discarding multiple cards at once (such as with a spell that says 'discard two cards') will trigger the monument multiple times, allowing you to choose multiple different modes in quick succession.

When to Play It

This artifact is best utilized in decks that feature frequent discard outlets or cycling mechanics. It is particularly effective during your cleanup step if you have more than seven cards in hand, as discarding to your maximum hand size will trigger the ability. Because it can generate Treasure, it also serves as a ramp tool to help cast larger spells like Arcane Signet or equip Swiftfoot Boots earlier than expected.

Interaction examples

Maximizing Single-Turn Value

Monument to Endurance

If you discard three cards during your turn, you can stack the triggers to draw a card, create a Treasure, and drain your opponents for 3 life all at once. If you discard a fourth card, the ability triggers but has no valid modes left to choose, so it does nothing.

Fueling Your Mana Pool

Monument to EnduranceTreasure

By discarding a card, you choose the second mode to create a Treasure token. You can then immediately tap and sacrifice that Treasure to add one mana of any color, which could help you pay for the mana cost of another spell or an activated ability.

Utility and Protection Setup

Monument to EnduranceArcane SignetSwiftfoot Boots

After discarding to trigger the Monument and creating a Treasure, you use that extra mana to cast Arcane Signet. On a subsequent turn, after discarding again to draw a card, you use your established mana rocks to cast and equip Swiftfoot Boots to your commander, ensuring your board state is both resource-rich and protected.