Stamp of ApprovalHow it works & interactions with other cards

Choosing Your Mark

As Stamp of Approval enters the battlefield, you choose a watermark. This is a static ability that doesn't use the stack, meaning no one can respond to the choice itself once the spell resolves. A watermark is a faint symbol printed in the text box of certain cards, often representing a guild, faction, or expansion set symbol.

Static Power Boost

Once on the battlefield, the artifact provides a continuous +1/+1 bonus to all creatures you control that possess the chosen watermark. This effect checks the physical printed card (or the digital representation of that card's specific printing). If a creature loses its abilities, it still retains its watermark, so the bonus remains.

Strategic Considerations

Because this artifact only cares about watermarks, you must ensure your deck includes printings that actually feature them. Many modern reprints omit watermarks that were present in original sets. Always double-check your specific card versions during deck building to maximize the efficiency of this artifact.

Interaction examples

Watermarked Artifacts

Arcane Signet

If you cast Stamp of Approval and choose a watermark that appears on your specific printing of Arcane Signet (such as a Commander set symbol watermark), and the Signet is somehow turned into a creature (via another effect), it will receive +1/+1. Note that the Signet itself does not have a watermark in all printings, so the specific card version matters.

Equipment and Watermarks

Swiftfoot Boots

You have a creature equipped with Swiftfoot Boots. If you play Stamp of Approval and choose a watermark found on that creature's card, the creature gets +1/+1. Even though the Boots are attached to the creature, the presence or absence of a watermark on the Boots does not affect the creature's bonus unless the Boots themselves are also creatures.