Psychic Puppetry — ruling 1

You reveal all cards you intend to splice at the same time. Each individual card can be spliced only once onto any one spell.

Psychic Puppetry — ruling 2

A card with a splice ability can’t be spliced onto itself because the spell is on the stack (and not in your hand) when you reveal the cards you want to splice onto it.

Psychic Puppetry — ruling 3

You choose all targets for the spell after revealing cards you want to splice, including any targets required by the text of any of those cards. You may choose a different target for each instance of the word “target” on the resulting spell.

Psychic Puppetry — ruling 4

If all of the spell’s targets are illegal when the spell tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen.

Psychic Puppetry : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Psychic Puppetry 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 may tap or untap target permanent. Splice onto Arcane (As you cast an Arcane spell, you may reveal this card from your hand and pay its splice cost. If you do, add this card's effects to that spell.)

Complete guide

Psychic Puppetry is a versatile blue Arcane instant from the Kamigawa block that offers utility for a low cost. Its true power lies in the Splice onto Arcane keyword, allowing you to repeatedly use its effect without ever losing the card from your hand.

Manipulating the Battlefield

At its core, Psychic Puppetry allows you to either tap or untap any permanent on the battlefield. This can be used defensively to neutralize an opponent's attacker or offensively to untap your own resources, such as a mana-producing land or a creature with a powerful activated ability.

Understanding Splice onto Arcane

When you cast an Arcane spell, you can reveal Psychic Puppetry from your hand and pay its splice cost of one blue mana. This adds 'You may tap or untap target permanent' to the text of the spell on the stack. The physical card remains in your hand, meaning you can splice it onto subsequent Arcane spells in later turns.

Resolution and Targeting

Targets for spliced effects are chosen as the spell is cast. If you splice Psychic Puppetry onto another spell, the combined spell now has multiple targets. If all targets for the combined spell become illegal before resolution, the entire spell—including the spliced effect—fails to resolve.

Strategic Timing

You should use Psychic Puppetry during your opponent's beginning of combat step to tap down their largest threat. Alternatively, if you are splicing it, use it to untap a land to ensure you have mana available for protection like Counterspell during your opponent's turn.

Interaction examples

Solo Manipulation

You cast Psychic Puppetry targeting an opponent's creature. Upon resolution, you choose to tap that creature, preventing it from being able to attack during their next turn.

Interaction with Countermagic

Counterspell

If you cast Psychic Puppetry as a standalone spell, your opponent may cast Counterspell targeting it. If Counterspell resolves, Psychic Puppetry is moved to the graveyard and its effect does not happen.

Splicing Risks

An Offer You Can't Refuse

If you cast an Arcane spell and splice Psychic Puppetry onto it, your opponent can use An Offer You Can't Refuse to counter the entire spell. Because the spliced spell is countered, you do not get to tap or untap a permanent, though the Psychic Puppetry card itself remains safely in your hand.

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

How it works : Psychic Puppetry

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1June 7, 2013· Wizards of the Coast
You reveal all cards you intend to splice at the same time. Each individual card can be spliced only once onto any one spell.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2June 7, 2013· Wizards of the Coast
A card with a splice ability can’t be spliced onto itself because the spell is on the stack (and not in your hand) when you reveal the cards you want to splice onto it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#3June 7, 2013· Wizards of the Coast
You choose all targets for the spell after revealing cards you want to splice, including any targets required by the text of any of those cards. You may choose a different target for each instance of the word “target” on the resulting spell.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#4June 7, 2013· Wizards of the Coast
If all of the spell’s targets are illegal when the spell tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen.
No other card is named in this ruling.