Ran and Shaw 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
Flying, firebending 2 When Ran and Shaw enter, if you cast them and there are three or more Dragon and/or Lesson cards in your graveyard, create a token that's a copy of Ran and Shaw, except it's not legendary.: Dragons you control get +2/+0 until end of turn.
Complete guide
Harness the power of the original masters with Ran and Shaw, a legendary Dragon pair that rewards dedicated Dragon and Lesson players. This creature provides both immediate board presence and a recurring source of mana through its unique firebending ability. By understanding how to manage your graveyard and combat steps, you can lead your draconic forces to victory.
Mastering Firebending
Ran and Shaw feature the firebending 2 keyword, which triggers whenever they attack. Unlike traditional mana abilities, firebending uses the stack and can be responded to by players. Once it resolves, you add {R}{R} to your mana pool, and crucially, this mana does not disappear as you move between combat steps, such as moving from the declare attackers step to the declare blockers step.
The Power of the Graveyard
When Ran and Shaw enter the battlefield, they check a specific 'intervening if' clause: you must have cast them, and your graveyard must contain at least three Dragon and/or Lesson cards. If these conditions are met, you create a non-legendary token copy of them. This check happens twice—once when the ability triggers to see if it even goes on the stack, and again when it attempts to resolve. If your graveyard count drops below three in response, the ability will fail to create the token.
Scaling Your Offense
The activated ability {3}{R}: Dragons you control get +2/+0 until end of turn is a powerful mana sink. Since firebending mana lasts until you leave the combat phase, you can attack, gain the mana, and then spend it after blockers are declared but before damage is dealt. This allows you to pump your entire Dragon army, including the token copy generated by Ran and Shaw's entry ability.
Interaction examples
Ran and Shaw
Roaming ThroneWith Roaming Throne on the battlefield naming 'Dragon', casting Ran and Shaw with three Dragons in your graveyard triggers their enter ability twice. Because the token is not legendary, you will end up with the original Ran and Shaw plus two non-legendary token copies, providing three bodies with firebending 2.
CopyIf you attack with both the original Ran and Shaw and its Copy token, both firebending 2 abilities trigger. You add a total of {R}{R}{R}{R}. This mana stays in your pool through the end of the combat damage step, allowing you to activate Ran and Shaw's pump ability to give your Dragons +4/+0 total before the second main phase begins.
Solemn SimulacrumWhile Solemn Simulacrum helps you reach the five mana required to cast Ran and Shaw, it does not count toward the graveyard requirement for the token. Only cards with the Dragon or Lesson type count. If you cast Ran and Shaw with only Solemn Simulacrum and two Dragons in your graveyard, the ability will not trigger because the condition of three Dragon/Lesson cards is not met.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Ran and Shaw
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Any other mana you add during combat will still be lost as normal when moving between steps of combat.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
"Firebending N" is a keyword that represents the ability "Whenever this creature attacks, add N
. Until end of combat, you don't lose this mana as steps end."No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Except for the legendary supertype, the token copies only what is printed on Ran and Shaw unless Ran and Shaw are being modified by another copy effect. It doesn't copy whether Ran and Shaw are tapped or untapped, whether they have any counters on them or Auras or Equipment attached to them, or any non-copy effects that have changed their power, toughness, types, color, or so on.
Card named in this ruling
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Multiple instances of firebending on the same creature trigger separately, each granting you the appropriate amount of mana.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Firebending abilities aren't mana abilities. They use the stack and can be responded to.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Mana from firebending abilities isn't lost until you leave combat and go to your second main phase. It can be used at any time during combat, even after combat damage has been dealt.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Related cards and tokens
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Ran and Shaw
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.