Status // Statue 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
Target creature gets +1/+1 and gains deathtouch until end of turn. Destroy target artifact, creature, or enchantment.
Complete guide
Status // Statue is a versatile Golgari split card that offers both a cheap combat trick and a powerful removal tool. Whether you need to turn a small creature into a lethal blocker or eliminate a problematic permanent, this card provides the flexibility required for various battlefield scenarios. Understanding how split cards function is key to mastering its dual nature.
Choosing Your Path
When you cast a split card, you must choose which half you are casting. Status costs a single hybrid Black or Green mana, while Statue costs four mana including both colors. While on the stack, the spell only has the characteristics of the half you chose. In any other zone, such as your library or graveyard, the card has the combined mana value of 5 and possesses all types and colors of both halves.
Resolving the Effects
If you cast Status, you target one creature; it receives a +1/+1 buff and the deathtouch keyword until the end of the turn. This makes even the smallest creature capable of destroying any blocker or attacker it damages. If you cast Statue, you target an artifact, creature, or enchantment to destroy it. Because Statue targets specific permanent types, you must ensure the target is legal as you cast it and as it attempts to resolve.
Common Split Card Missteps
A frequent mistake involves calculating mana value. If an effect asks for the mana value of this card in your hand, it is 5. However, if you are casting Status, the mana value on the stack is only 1. You cannot cast both halves at the same time; once you choose a side, the other side is effectively ignored until the spell leaves the stack.
Strategic Timing
Use Status during the declare blockers step to surprise an opponent by giving your creature deathtouch after they have committed to a combat trade. Statue is best reserved for high-priority threats like powerful enchantments or large creatures that Status cannot help you overcome through combat alone.
Interaction examples
Return of the WildspeakerYou control a 4/4 non-Human creature and want to draw more cards. First, you cast the Status half of Status // Statue targeting your creature. It becomes a 5/5. Then, you cast Return of the Wildspeaker choosing the first mode. Since your creature's power is now 5, you draw five cards instead of four.
Deadly RollickYour opponent has two dangerous creatures. During your turn, you cast Statue to destroy the first creature. After Statue resolves and the creature is destroyed, you cast Deadly Rollick (potentially for free if you control your commander) to exile the second creature, effectively clearing the board of two major threats using two different removal spells.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Status // Statue
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
To cast a split card, choose one of its halves to cast. There's no way to cast both halves of this split card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Split cards have two card faces on a single card. The characteristics of the half you didn't cast are ignored while the spell is on the stack.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Each split card is a single card. For example, if you discard a split card, you've discarded one card, not two. If an effect counts the number of sorcery cards in your graveyard, Assault // Battery counts once, not twice.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Each split card has two names. If an effect instructs you to choose a card name, you may choose one of those names, but not both.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
A split card's characteristics are a combination of its two halves while it is not on the stack. For example, Assault // Battery has a mana value of 5 while it is in your library. If an effect allows you to search your library for a card with mana value 4 or less, you can't find Assault // Battery.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect allows you to cast a spell with certain characteristics, consider only the characteristics of the half you're casting. For example, if an effect allows you to cast a sorcery spell with mana value 2 or less from among cards in your graveyard, you could cast Assault this way, but not Battery.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If you copy a spell that's half of a split card, the copy copies that same half. For example, if you copy Assault, the copy is also Assault, not Battery.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Status // Statue
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