Soul Stair Expedition — ruling 1

A landfall ability triggers whenever a land you control enters for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability puts a land onto the battlefield under your control.

Soul Stair Expedition — ruling 2

A landfall ability doesn't trigger if a permanent already on the battlefield becomes a land.

Soul Stair Expedition — ruling 3

Whenever a land you control enters, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one to resolve (As a result, you can have those abilities resolve in the order of your choosing.).

Soul Stair Expedition : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Soul Stair Expedition 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

Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, you may put a quest counter on this enchantment. Remove three quest counters from this enchantment and sacrifice it: Return up to two target creature cards from your graveyard to your hand.

Complete guide

Soul Stair Expedition is a patient black enchantment that rewards you for developing your board with lands. By accumulating quest counters through the landfall mechanic, it eventually provides a significant card advantage boost by recovering fallen allies. This card is a staple for graveyard-focused decks that want a low-cost insurance policy for their most important creatures.

Accumulating Quest Counters

The primary mechanic of Soul Stair Expedition is Landfall. Every time a land enters the battlefield under your control, whether you played it as your land for the turn or put it into play via a spell or ability, you may put a quest counter on the enchantment. Note that this is a 'may' ability; you must choose to add the counter as the trigger resolves. You cannot add counters if a permanent already on the battlefield simply becomes a land.

Cashing in the Expedition

Once the enchantment has three or more quest counters, you can activate its ability. The cost of this ability is removing three quest counters and sacrificing the enchantment itself. Because the sacrifice is part of the cost, your opponents cannot respond to the activation by trying to destroy the enchantment to stop the effect. You choose up to two target creature cards in your graveyard when you activate the ability.

Timing and Strategy

Soul Stair Expedition is most effective when played early. Since the activation is an instant-speed ability, you can hold it open to protect your graveyard from exile effects or wait until your opponent's end step to refill your hand. Remember that you can choose fewer than two targets if necessary, though you usually want to maximize the value by returning two creatures.

Interaction examples

Landfall from Non-Basic Sources

Urza's Saga

When you play Urza's Saga, it enters the battlefield as a land. This triggers Soul Stair Expedition's landfall ability immediately. You may put a quest counter on the enchantment even though Urza's Saga is also an Enchantment and a Saga.

Recovering Fallen Reanimators

Animate Dead

If your creature dies because Animate Dead left the battlefield, it returns to the graveyard. You can then use Soul Stair Expedition by removing three counters and sacrificing it to return that creature card (and perhaps another) from your graveyard back to your hand, allowing you to cast them again later.

Building the Quest

You cast Soul Stair Expedition for one black mana. Over the next three turns, you play a Swamp each turn. Each time a Swamp enters, the landfall ability triggers and you choose to put a quest counter on the Expedition. Once the third counter is placed, you can sacrifice it at any time to return two creatures to your hand.

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

How it works : Soul Stair Expedition

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1November 8, 2024· Wizards of the Coast
A landfall ability triggers whenever a land you control enters for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability puts a land onto the battlefield under your control.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2November 8, 2024· Wizards of the Coast
A landfall ability doesn't trigger if a permanent already on the battlefield becomes a land.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#3November 8, 2024· Wizards of the Coast
Whenever a land you control enters, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one to resolve (As a result, you can have those abilities resolve in the order of your choosing.).
No other card is named in this ruling.