Sauron, the Dark Lord 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
Ward—Sacrifice a legendary artifact or legendary creature. Whenever an opponent casts a spell, amass Orcs 1. Whenever an Army you control deals combat damage to a player, the Ring tempts you. Whenever the Ring tempts you, you may discard your hand. If you do, draw four cards.
Complete guide
Sauron, the Dark Lord is a powerhouse commander that embodies the inevitability of Mordor's shadow. With a punishing Ward cost and the ability to cycle through your deck rapidly, he turns every move your opponents make into a gain for your Orcish armies.
A Formidable Defense and Growing Army
Sauron, the Dark Lord features a unique Ward cost that requires opponents to sacrifice a legendary artifact or creature to target him, making him exceptionally difficult to remove. While he sits on the throne, every spell cast by an opponent triggers 'amass Orcs 1'. If you don't control an Army, you create a 0/0 Orc Army token and put a +1/+1 counter on it. If you already have an Army, it simply grows larger, ensuring your forces are always expanding.
The Power of the Ring
Whenever an Army you control deals combat damage to a player, the Ring tempts you. This triggers a sequence where you gain or progress your 'The Ring' emblem and choose a Ring-bearer. Crucially, Sauron has a secondary trigger: 'Whenever the Ring tempts you, you may discard your hand. If you do, draw four cards.' This allows you to refresh your hand constantly, even if the Ring tempts you while you have zero cards in hand.
Strategic Considerations
It is important to remember that 'amass Orcs' triggers when the spell is cast, not when it resolves. Your Orc Army will grow before the opponent's spell even takes effect. Additionally, Sauron's draw ability is optional. You should only choose to discard and draw if the four new cards provide more value than your current hand. Note that the Ring tempts you even if you control no creatures, which will still trigger Sauron's hand-refresh ability.
When to Play Sauron
Deploy Sauron when you can capitalize on your opponents' high spell density or when you have an Army ready to attack. He is most effective in decks that can protect him further or benefit from cards entering the graveyard, as his discard ability can be used to set up powerful reanimation plays or graveyard synergies.
Interaction examples
Sauron, the Dark Lord
Syr Konrad, the GrimIf an opponent casts a spell to destroy Sauron, the Dark Lord, they must first sacrifice a legendary permanent like Syr Konrad, the Grim to pay the Ward cost. When they cast their spell, Sauron's 'amass Orcs 1' triggers first. Then, because a creature (Syr Konrad) was put into a graveyard, Syr Konrad's own ability triggers to deal 1 damage to each opponent before he is gone.
Orc Army
The Ring // The Ring Tempts YouYou attack an opponent with a 5/5 Orc Army token. Upon dealing combat damage, the Ring tempts you. You progress the The Ring emblem and choose a creature as your Ring-bearer. This immediately triggers Sauron's last ability. You choose to discard your hand of two lands and draw four fresh cards, significantly increasing your options for the next turn.
Gray Merchant of AsphodelSauron, the Dark Lord provides three pips of devotion (blue, black, and red). When you play Gray Merchant of Asphodel with Sauron on the battlefield, the Merchant counts Sauron's black mana symbol plus its own two symbols. If these are your only non-land permanents, the Merchant will drain each opponent for 5 life, showcasing how Sauron stabilizes your board presence for black-heavy payoffs.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Sauron, the Dark Lord
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Some cards refer to the "amassed Army." That means the Army creature you chose to receive counters, even if no counters were placed on it for some reason.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If you don't control an Army, the Goblin Army token you create enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature before receiving counters. Any abilities that trigger when a creature with a certain power enters the battlefield, such as that of Mentor of the Meek, will see the token enter as a 0/0 creature before it gets +1/+1 counters.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Some spells and abilities that amass Goblins may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't amass Goblins.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
To amass Goblins N, if you don't control an Army creature, create a 0/0 black Goblin Army creature token. Then you choose an Army creature you control and put N +1/+1 counters on it. If that Army isn't already a Goblin, it becomes a Goblin in addition to its other types.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Amass Orcs works the same way, except you create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token if you don't control an Army. And if the Army creature you chose isn't already an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types. By combining cards with amass Orcs and amass Goblins, you can end up with a Goblin Orc Army.
Card named in this ruling
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
In the rare case that you control multiple Army creatures (perhaps because you control a creature with changeling) while you amass Goblins, you choose which of your Army creatures to put the +1/+1 counters on. If that creature isn't a Goblin, it becomes a Goblin in addition to its other types.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Some spells and abilities that amass Orcs may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't amass Orcs.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
As the Ring tempts you, you get an emblem named The Ring if you don't have one. Then your emblem gains its next ability and you choose a creature you control to become (or remain) your Ring-bearer.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
In the rare case that you control multiple Army creatures (perhaps because you played a creature with changeling) while you amass Orcs, you choose which of your Army creatures to put the +1/+1 counters on. If that creature isn't an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
The Ring gains its abilities in order from top to bottom. Once it gains an ability, it has that ability for the rest of the game.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
Some cards refer to the "amassed Army." That means the Army creature you chose to receive counters, even if no counters were placed on it for some reason.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
Amass abilities are now written as "amass [subtype] N." Previous cards with amass have received errata to say "amass Zombies N."
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #13· Wizards of the Coast
To amass Orcs N, if you don't control an Army creature, create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token. Then you choose an Army creature you control and put N +1/+1 counters on it. If that Army isn't already an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types.
Card named in this ruling
- #14· Wizards of the Coast
Some spells and abilities that cause the Ring to tempt you may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. The Ring won't tempt you.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #15· Wizards of the Coast
If you don't control an Army, the Orc Army token you create enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature before receiving counters. Any abilities that trigger when a creature with a certain power enters the battlefield, such as that of Mentor of the Meek, will see the token enter as a 0/0 creature before it gets +1/+1 counters.
Card named in this ruling
- #16· Wizards of the Coast
Amass Zombies works the same way, except you create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token if you don't control an Army. If the Army creature you chose isn't already a Zombie, it becomes a Zombie in addition to its other types. By combining cards with amass Orcs and amass Zombies, you can end up with an Orc Zombie Army.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #17· Wizards of the Coast
The Ring can tempt you even if you don't control a creature. In this case, abilities that trigger "whenever the Ring tempts you" will still trigger.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #18· Wizards of the Coast
Each player can have only one emblem named The Ring and only one Ring-bearer at a time.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #19· Wizards of the Coast
Each time the Ring tempts you, you must choose a creature if you control one.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #20· Wizards of the Coast
If the creature you choose as your Ring-bearer was already your Ring-bearer, that still counts as choosing that creature as your Ring-bearer for the purpose of abilities that trigger "whenever you choose a creature as your Ring-bearer" or abilities that care about which creature was chosen as your Ring-bearer.
No other card is named in this ruling.
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