Reverence 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
Creatures with power 2 or less can't attack you.
Complete guide
Reverence is a classic defensive enchantment that punishes players relying on small creature swarms. By imposing a strict power limit on potential attackers, it creates a safe haven for players who need time to set up their strategy. If your opponent's board is full of small threats, this card ensures they stay on their side of the battlefield.
What It Does
Reverence creates a static restriction on the declare attackers step. It checks the power of every creature an opponent might want to send your way. If a creature's power is 2 or less, the game rules simply do not allow that creature to be declared as an attacker against you.
How It Resolves Step by Step
First, the enchantment must be on the battlefield before the combat phase begins. As the active player enters their declare attackers step, they must choose which creatures are attacking. The game checks the current power of those creatures; if a creature has power 2 or less, the player cannot choose you as the recipient of that attack. However, the check only happens at the moment attackers are declared. If a creature's power is reduced to 2 or less after it has already been legally declared as an attacker, Reverence will not remove it from combat.
Common Mistakes
A frequent misconception is that Reverence protects your planeswalkers. According to the official rulings, a creature that is prohibited from attacking you can still be legally declared as an attacker against a planeswalker you control. Additionally, remember that this card only checks the power at the moment of declaration; it does not stop creatures from being 'put' onto the battlefield attacking via other effects.
When to Play It
Reverence is most effective against 'Weenie' decks or token strategies. While it doesn't stop massive dragons or demons, it completely shuts down 1/1 goblins, 2/2 zombies, or soldiers. It is best used in control decks that need to survive the early game to reach their powerful late-game spells.
Interaction examples
Ghostly PrisonWith both enchantments out, an opponent with a 2/2 creature cannot attack you at all, regardless of whether they can pay the mana for Ghostly Prison. If they have a 3/3 creature, Reverence no longer applies, so they may attack you only if they pay the {2} tax required by Ghostly Prison.
Smothering TitheIn this scenario, Reverence prevents an opponent's small creatures from chipping away at your life total. This gives you more time to accumulate Treasure tokens from Smothering Tithe whenever they draw cards, allowing you to ramp into bigger spells while being protected from low-power threats.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Reverence
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Unless some effect explicitly says otherwise, a creature that can’t attack you can still attack a planeswalker you control.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Reverence + Godhead of Awe
- 1Godhead of Awe causes all other creatures to have base power and toughness 1/1.
- 2Because Reverence prevents creatures with power two or less from attacking you, no creatures can attack you.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Reverence
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.