Nine-Lives FamiliarHow it works & interactions with other cards

Revival Counters and Casting

Nine-Lives Familiar enters with eight revival counters only if you cast it. If it enters the battlefield through other means, such as being put directly from the graveyard or library, it will enter with zero counters. These counters act as a resource; each time the Cat dies while it has at least one counter, it prepares to return for another round.

The Resurrection Process

When Nine-Lives Familiar dies, the game checks if it had a revival counter on it at the moment it left the battlefield. If it did, a delayed triggered ability is created. This ability does not bring the creature back immediately; instead, it waits for the beginning of the next end step. At that time, the Cat returns to the battlefield with one fewer revival counter than it had previously.

Common Pitfalls

It is important to remember that if Nine-Lives Familiar dies during an end step, it will not return until the beginning of the next turn's end step. Furthermore, if the Cat is exiled or returned to your hand, the revival ability will not trigger. Because the return ability is a triggered ability that happens at the end step, players have a window to interact with your graveyard before the creature returns.

When to Play It

This card is ideal for strategies involving sacrifice outlets or board wipes. Since it returns at the end step, it provides a reliable way to maintain board presence. It excels in decks that can capitalize on 'leaves the battlefield' or 'enters the battlefield' triggers repeatedly over many turns.

Interaction examples

Doubling the Lives

Roaming Throne

If you control Roaming Throne with 'Cat' chosen as the creature type, the Familiar's death trigger will fire twice. At the beginning of the next end step, two separate abilities will attempt to return Nine-Lives Familiar to the battlefield. The first one will return the Cat with one fewer counter; the second one will then fail to find the card in the graveyard because it has already changed zones.

Continuous Value Engineering

Solemn Simulacrum

If both Nine-Lives Familiar and Solemn Simulacrum are destroyed by a board wipe, you will draw a card from the Golem immediately. The Familiar's ability will trigger and wait. At the beginning of the next end step, the Familiar returns to the battlefield. This allows you to maintain a blocker or sacrifice fodder for the next turn while your opponent's board remains empty.