Solemnity — ruling 1

Solemnity doesn’t remove any counters players or permanents already have.

Solemnity — ruling 2

Solemnity stops counters from being put on an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land as it enters the battlefield, as well as stopping counters from being put on them later.

Solemnity — ruling 3

If the cost of an ability or an additional cost of a spell requires putting counters on an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land, that cost can’t be paid. If a resolving spell or ability says that a player may put counters on one of those objects, that player can’t choose to do so.

Solemnity — ruling 4

If a replacement effect allows a player to modify or replace an event by putting counters on an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land, that player may apply that replacement effect. Counters won’t be put on the object, but if the original event is entirely replaced (such as by applying Soul-Scar Mage’s replacement effect), the original event won’t happen.

Solemnity — ruling 5

If an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land would enter the battlefield with counters on it at the same time that Solemnity enters the battlefield, Solemnity doesn’t stop it from getting those counters.

Solemnity — ruling 6

Damage from a source with wither has no effect on creatures. No -1/-1 counters are put on them, and no damage is marked on them. The damage is still dealt for purposes of effects that care about damage, such as lifelink.

Solemnity — ruling 7

Damage from a source with infect has no effect on creatures or players. No -1/-1 counters are put on creatures, and no damage is marked on them. Players don’t get poison counters and they don’t lose life. The damage is still dealt for purposes of effects that care about damage, such as lifelink.

Solemnity — ruling 8

Counters can be put on cards that aren't on the battlefield. Notably, suspended cards will still get time counters.

Solemnity : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Solemnity 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

Players can't get counters. Counters can't be put on artifacts, creatures, enchantments, or lands.

Complete guide

Solemnity is a powerful white enchantment that brings a sudden halt to the progression of counters in Magic: The Gathering. By enforcing a static state across players and most permanents, it serves as a hard counter to many popular mechanics and strategies. Whether you are looking to stop an opponent's Infect deck or seeking to break your own Cumulative Upkeep cards, Solemnity is a versatile tool.

What It Does

Solemnity creates two primary rules restrictions: players cannot gain counters of any kind, and counters cannot be placed on artifacts, creatures, enchantments, or lands. This includes everything from +1/+1 counters and loyalty counters on animated lands to energy, experience, and poison counters on players. It is important to note that this effect only applies while Solemnity is on the battlefield and does not remove counters that were already present before it entered.

How It Resolves Step by Step

Once Solemnity is on the battlefield, the game rules are modified immediately. First, if an effect would place a counter on a player or one of the specified permanent types, that part of the effect simply fails to happen. Second, if a permanent would enter the battlefield with counters, those counters are never placed. Third, if a cost requires putting a counter on one of these objects, that cost cannot be paid, preventing the ability from being activated or the spell from being cast.

Common Mistakes

A frequent misunderstanding is how Solemnity interacts with cards entering the battlefield at the same time. If Solemnity and a creature enter simultaneously, that creature still gets its counters. Additionally, it does not stop counters on cards in other zones, such as time counters on suspended cards in exile. Another nuance involves damage: if a creature with Infect deals damage while Solemnity is out, no poison counters are given and no life is lost, though the damage is still technically 'dealt' for triggers like lifelink.

When to Play It

Solemnity is best played as a sideboard piece against decks reliant on +1/+1 counters, Infect, or Energy. It is also highly effective in combo decks that utilize permanents with negative drawbacks involving counters. Because it stops counters from being placed as a cost, it can effectively freeze the 'Age' counters on Cumulative Upkeep permanents, allowing you to keep them on the battlefield indefinitely for a cost of zero.

Interaction examples

Solemnity and Board State

With Solemnity on the battlefield, if you cast a creature that normally enters with two +1/+1 counters, it enters with zero counters instead. If an opponent tries to use an ability to give themselves an energy counter, the ability resolves, but the player's energy count remains unchanged.

Interaction with Other Enchantments

Smothering Tithe

Ghostly Prison

If you have Solemnity, Smothering Tithe, and Ghostly Prison all on the battlefield, Solemnity does not interfere with the others. Smothering Tithe creates Treasure tokens, which are artifacts, but because they do not use counters, Solemnity allows them to be created normally. Similarly, Ghostly Prison imposes a mana tax on attackers, which is unaffected by the restriction on counters.

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

How it works : Solemnity

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1July 14, 2017· Wizards of the Coast
Solemnity doesn’t remove any counters players or permanents already have.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2July 14, 2017· Wizards of the Coast
Solemnity stops counters from being put on an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land as it enters the battlefield, as well as stopping counters from being put on them later.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#3July 14, 2017· Wizards of the Coast
If the cost of an ability or an additional cost of a spell requires putting counters on an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land, that cost can’t be paid. If a resolving spell or ability says that a player may put counters on one of those objects, that player can’t choose to do so.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#4July 14, 2017· Wizards of the Coast
If a replacement effect allows a player to modify or replace an event by putting counters on an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land, that player may apply that replacement effect. Counters won’t be put on the object, but if the original event is entirely replaced (such as by applying Soul-Scar Mage’s replacement effect), the original event won’t happen.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#5July 14, 2017· Wizards of the Coast
If an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land would enter the battlefield with counters on it at the same time that Solemnity enters the battlefield, Solemnity doesn’t stop it from getting those counters.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#6July 14, 2017· Wizards of the Coast
Damage from a source with wither has no effect on creatures. No -1/-1 counters are put on them, and no damage is marked on them. The damage is still dealt for purposes of effects that care about damage, such as lifelink.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#7July 14, 2017· Wizards of the Coast
Damage from a source with infect has no effect on creatures or players. No -1/-1 counters are put on creatures, and no damage is marked on them. Players don’t get poison counters and they don’t lose life. The damage is still dealt for purposes of effects that care about damage, such as lifelink.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#8July 14, 2017· Wizards of the Coast
Counters can be put on cards that aren't on the battlefield. Notably, suspended cards will still get time counters.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#9July 14, 2017· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature with tribute is entering the battlefield, the chosen opponent can’t pay tribute even if they want to.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#10July 14, 2017· Wizards of the Coast
While resolving a cumulative upkeep trigger of a permanent, you’ll fail to put a counter on that permanent, then you may pay for the age counters already on it. If it has no age counters on it, you may pay .
No other card is named in this ruling.