Secret of Bloodbending 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
As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may waterbend. You control target opponent during their next combat phase. If this spell's additional cost was paid, you control that player during their next turn instead. (You see all cards that player could see and make all decisions for them.) Exile Secret of Bloodbending.
Complete guide
Unlock the darkest arts of the elements with Secret of Bloodbending, a powerful Lesson that allows you to seize control of your opponent's actions. Whether you are manipulating a single combat phase or dominating an entire turn, this spell can turn your opponent's resources against them. By utilizing the waterbend mechanic, you can fuel this expensive sorcery by tapping your own creatures and artifacts.
Seizing the Reins
Secret of Bloodbending allows you to control a target opponent during their next combat phase. However, if you pay the additional waterbend cost of {10}, you gain control of that player for their entire next turn. Waterbend is a unique cost-reduction mechanic: for each generic mana in the cost, you may tap an untapped artifact or creature you control rather than paying that mana. This means you can effectively cast the empowered version of this spell by tapping ten permanents instead of spending ten mana.
How it Resolves Step by Step
When Secret of Bloodbending resolves, it sets up a replacement effect for the opponent's next combat or turn. 1. You see everything they see: their hand, face-down cards, and any cards they are allowed to look at in their library. 2. You make all decisions: you choose which spells they cast, which abilities they activate, and how they attack or block. 3. You must use their resources: you can only spend their mana and cards to pay for their actions. 4. Once the spell finishes resolving, it is exiled rather than being put into your graveyard.
Common Mistakes
It is important to remember that you do not own the player's permanents; you only control the player making the decisions. You cannot force an opponent to concede, nor can you access their sideboard to fetch cards. Furthermore, you cannot make illegal moves—if a card says a player 'may' do something, you choose whether they do it, but you cannot ignore 'must' effects or actual game rules. If the player skips the affected phase or turn, the effect waits until the next time they actually take that phase or turn.
When to Play It
This spell is best utilized when your opponent has a complex board state or a hand full of powerful spells that you can waste or use to your advantage. Because it is a Lesson, you can fetch it from your sideboard using a card with the 'Learn' mechanic, making it a flexible high-cost finisher for blue decks that can produce many creatures or artifacts to satisfy the waterbend cost.
Interaction examples
FabricateWhile controlling your opponent's turn, you notice they have Fabricate in hand. You can force them to cast it, search their library for a completely useless artifact, and then shuffle their library. You have successfully wasted their mana and their best tutor card.
WindfallDuring the turn you control, you see your opponent has a Windfall. If you have no cards in your hand but they have many, you can force them to cast Windfall. This forces them to discard their valuable hand and draw zero cards (if your hand was empty), effectively leaving them with nothing while you continue your game plan.
If you cast Secret of Bloodbending without paying the waterbend cost, you only control the opponent during combat. During this time, you can force their small utility creatures to attack into your large blockers, or ensure they don't block your creatures at all during your own subsequent turn if the timing allows for specific triggers.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Secret of Bloodbending
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
While controlling another player, you also continue to make your own choices and decisions.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
While controlling another player, you can see all cards in the game that player can see. This includes cards in that player's hand, face-down cards that player controls, and any cards in that player's library the player may look at.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If the targeted player skips their next combat phase or turn, you'll control the next combat phase or turn the affected player actually takes.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
The player you're controlling is still the active player during that turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
While controlling another player, you make all choices and decisions that player is allowed to make or is told to make. This includes choices about what spells to cast or what abilities to activate, as well as any decisions called for by triggered abilities or for any other reason.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Controlling a player doesn't allow you to look at that player's sideboard. If an effect instructs that player to choose a card from outside the game, you can't have that player choose any card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
"Waterbend [cost]" means "Pay [cost]. For each generic mana in that cost, you may tap an untapped artifact or creature you control rather than pay that mana."
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
You can't make the affected player concede. That player may choose to concede at any time, even while you're controlling that player.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
Even if the cost of the spell or ability that waterbend is part of increases or decreases, you still may only tap artifacts or creatures to pay for costs up to the amount of the generic mana in the waterbend cost.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
You only control the player. You don't control any of that player's permanents, spells, or abilities.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
You can't make any illegal decisions or illegal choices—you can't do anything that player couldn't do. You can't make choices or decisions for that player that aren't called for by the game rules or by any cards, permanents, spells, abilities, and so on. If an effect causes another player to make decisions that the affected player would normally make (such as Master Warcraft does), that effect takes precedence. In other words, if the affected player wouldn't make a decision, you wouldn't make that decision on that player's behalf.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
Multiple player-controlling effects that affect the same player overwrite each other. The last one to be created is the one that works.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #13· Wizards of the Coast
If an artifact or creature you control has a mana ability with
in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell or activating an ability with waterbend will result in the artifact or creature being tapped before you pay the spell's costs. You won't be able to tap it again for waterbend. Similarly, if you sacrifice an artifact or creature to activate a mana ability to pay a cost with waterbend, that artifact or creature won't be on the battlefield when you pay the spell's costs, so you won't be able to tap it for waterbend.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #14· Wizards of the Coast
In a Two-Headed Giant game, gaining control of a player causes you to gain control of each player on that team.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #15· Wizards of the Coast
You can tap any untapped creature or artifact you control to pay a waterbend cost, even one you haven't controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #16· Wizards of the Coast
You also can't make any choices or decisions for the player that would be called for by the tournament rules (such as whether to take an intentional draw or whether to call a judge).
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #17· Wizards of the Coast
You can use only the affected player's resources (cards, mana, and so on) to pay costs for that player; you can't use your own. Similarly, you can use the affected player's resources only to pay that player's costs; you can't spend them on your costs.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #18· Wizards of the Coast
If a waterbend cost is part of the total cost to cast a spell or activate an ability, you may tap an untapped artifact or creature you control rather than pay one generic mana in that total cost any number of times up to a maximum of the amount of generic mana in the waterbend component of that total cost.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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