Staff of Compleation 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
, Pay 1 life: Destroy target permanent you own.
: Untap this artifact.
Complete guide
Staff of Compleation is a versatile powerhouse that embodies the Phyrexian philosophy of power at any cost. By trading your life force for various effects, you can manage your board, accelerate your mana, or fuel your hand. This artifact is a Swiss Army knife for players who aren't afraid to bleed for an advantage.
A Multitude of Choices
The Staff offers four distinct activated abilities that require tapping the artifact and paying a specific amount of life. You can destroy a permanent you own for 1 life, generate any color of mana for 2 life, proliferate for 3 life, or draw a card for 4 life. Additionally, it features a non-tapping ability that allows you to pay 5 mana to untap the Staff, enabling you to use it multiple times in a single turn if you have the resources.
Understanding the Costs
When you activate any of the Staff's first four abilities, paying life and tapping the artifact are part of the cost. This means you must have enough life to pay the full amount before the ability is put onto the stack. If your life total is lower than the required cost, you cannot activate that specific ability. Because these are activated abilities, they can be used at instant speed, providing great flexibility during your opponent's turn or in response to spells.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, you announce which ability you are activating and choose a target if necessary (only for the 'Destroy' ability). Second, you pay the costs simultaneously: tap the Staff and subtract the life from your total. The ability then enters the stack. Finally, when the ability resolves, the effect happens—such as drawing a card or adding mana to your pool. If you use the untap ability, you simply pay 5 mana, and the Staff becomes ready for use again immediately upon resolution.
Strategic Implementation
Common mistakes include forgetting that you can only destroy permanents you own, even if an opponent currently controls them. It is also important to manage your life total carefully; while drawing cards is powerful, paying 4 life repeatedly can put you in the 'danger zone' against aggressive decks. The untap ability is best used late-game when you have excess mana to chain multiple proliferates or card draws together.
Interaction examples
Arcane SignetIf an opponent attempts to exile your Arcane Signet, you can respond by tapping Staff of Compleation and paying 1 life. This destroys your own Signet, potentially sending it to the graveyard where you can recur it later, rather than letting it be exiled forever.
Swiftfoot BootsWhile Swiftfoot Boots is usually for creatures, if the Staff of Compleation becomes a creature through another effect, the Boots can provide Haste. This would allow you to use one of the Staff's tap abilities the very turn it enters the battlefield, provided you have the life to spend.
With 5 mana available and at least 6 life, you can tap the Staff to Proliferate (paying 3 life), then pay 5 mana to untap it, and tap it again to Draw a Card (paying 4 life). This demonstrates how the Staff can act as a repeated engine if your life total allows.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Staff of Compleation
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Staff of Compleation + Nefarious Lich + Harmless Offering
- 1Cast Harmless Offering by paying
, giving an opponent control of Nefarious Lich. - 2Activate Staff of Compleation's first ability by tapping it and paying 1 life, destroying Nefarious Lich.
- 3When Nefarious Lich leaves the battlefield, it triggers, causing its controller to lose the game.
Staff of Compleation + Nefarious Lich + Donate
- 1Cast Donate by paying
, giving an opponent control of Nefarious Lich. - 2Activate Staff of Compleation's first ability by tapping it and paying 1 life, destroying Nefarious Lich.
- 3When Nefarious Lich leaves the battlefield, it triggers, causing its controller to lose the game.
Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider + Staff of Compleation + Cryptic Trilobite + Spike Feeder
- 1Activate Staff of Compleation's third ability by tapping it and paying three life, causing you to put four +1/+1 counters on Cryptic Trilobite and Spike Feeder.
- 2Activate Spike Feeder's second ability twice by removing two +1/+1 counters from it, causing you to gain four life.
- 3Activate Cryptic Trilobite's first ability three times by removing three +1/+1 counters from it, adding six
that can only be spent to activate abilitieis. - 4Activate Staff of Compleation's last ability by paying , untapping it.
- 5Repeat.
- 6Once you have infinite mana and life, you may activate Staff of Compleation's other abilities.
Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider + Staff of Compleation + Cryptic Trilobite + Spike Feeder
- 1Activate Staff of Compleation's third ability by tapping it and paying three life, causing you to put four +1/+1 counters on Cryptic Trilobite and Spike Feeder.
- 2Activate Spike Feeder's second ability twice by removing two +1/+1 counters from it, causing you to gain four life.
- 3Activate Cryptic Trilobite's first ability three times by removing three +1/+1 counters from it, adding six that can only be spent to activate abilitieis.
- 4Activate Staff of Compleation's last ability by paying , untapping it.
- 5Repeat.
- 6Once you have infinite mana and life, you may activate Staff of Compleation's other abilities.
Staff of Compleation + Nefarious Lich + Zedruu the Greathearted
- 1Activate Zedruu by paying
, giving an opponent control of Nefarious Lich. - 2Activate Staff of Compleation's first ability by tapping it and paying 1 life, destroying Nefarious Lich.
- 3When Nefarious Lich leaves the battlefield, it triggers, causing its controller to lose the game.
Staff of Compleation + Nefarious Lich + Role Reversal
- 1Cast Role Reversal by paying , exchanging control of an enchantment an opponent controls and Nefarious Lich.
- 2Activate Staff of Compleation's first ability by tapping it and paying 1 life, destroying Nefarious Lich.
- 3When Nefarious Lich leaves the battlefield, it triggers, causing its controller to lose the game.
Staff of Compleation + Cryptic Trilobite + Spike Feeder + Primal Vigor
- 1Activate Staff of Compleation's third ability by tapping it and paying three life, causing you to put four +1/+1 counters on Cryptic Trilobite and Spike Feeder.
- 2Activate Spike Feeder's second ability twice by removing two +1/+1 counters from it, causing you to gain four life.
- 3Activate Cryptic Trilobite's first ability three times by removing three +1/+1 counters from it, adding six that can only be spent to activate abilitieis.
- 4Activate Staff of Compleation's last ability by paying , untapping it.
- 5Repeat.
- 6Once you have infinite mana and life, you may activate Staff of Compleation's other abilities.
Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider + Staff of Compleation + Cryptic Trilobite + Spike Feeder
- 1Activate Staff of Compleation's third ability by tapping it and paying three life, causing you to put four +1/+1 counters on Cryptic Trilobite and Spike Feeder.
- 2Activate Spike Feeder's second ability twice by removing two +1/+1 counters from it, causing you to gain four life.
- 3Activate Cryptic Trilobite's first ability three times by removing three +1/+1 counters from it, adding six that can only be spent to activate abilitieis.
- 4Activate Staff of Compleation's last ability by paying , untapping it.
- 5Repeat.
- 6Once you have infinite mana and life, you may activate Staff of Compleation's other abilities.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Staff of Compleation
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