Natural OrderHow it works & interactions with other cards

Understanding the Additional Cost

Casting Natural Order requires more than just mana; you must sacrifice a green creature as an additional cost. This happens at the moment you cast the spell, meaning the creature is gone before any player can respond. If you do not control a green creature, you cannot cast this spell at all. Note that you only sacrifice one creature to find one card; you cannot sacrifice multiple creatures to get multiple rewards.

Step-by-Step Resolution

First, you announce the spell and pay the mana cost of {2}{G}{G} while sacrificing a green creature. Once the spell resolves, you search your library for any green creature card. You then place that card directly onto the battlefield. Finally, you must shuffle your library to complete the process. Because the creature enters during the resolution of a spell, your opponent cannot use a removal spell to stop the creature from entering once the search has begun.

Common Pitfalls

A frequent mistake is thinking you can sacrifice the creature after the spell is cast or in response to an opponent's action. Because the sacrifice is an 'additional cost,' the creature is already in the graveyard by the time anyone gets priority to react. Additionally, remember that the card you search for must be green. You cannot use Natural Order to find colorless creatures or creatures of other colors unless they are also green.

When to Play Natural Order

The best time to cast Natural Order is when you have a low-impact green creature on the board and need a significant threat to turn the tide of battle. It functions as both a tutor and a mana-acceleration tool. Since it puts the creature directly onto the battlefield, it is particularly effective for cheating out high-cost creatures early in the game.

Interaction examples

Basic Tutoring

With a small green creature token on the field, you cast Natural Order by paying its mana and sacrificing the token. You search your library for your most powerful green creature, such as a large beast, and place it directly onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Mana Ramp Synergy

Cultivate

On turn three, you cast Cultivate to ensure you have the four mana needed for your next turn. On turn four, you use one of the lands you fetched to help cast Natural Order, sacrificing a small utility creature to bring a massive threat into play much earlier than its mana cost would normally allow.

Filtering and Finding

Kodama's Reach

After using Kodama's Reach to pull basic lands out of your deck, you have thinned your library. You then cast Natural Order, sacrificing a green creature. Because you already removed basic lands from your deck, you have a slightly higher density of high-impact creatures left to choose from during your search.