Storm Fleet Swashbuckler 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
Ascend (If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game.) This creature has double strike as long as you have the city's blessing.
Complete guide
Storm Fleet Swashbuckler is an aggressive Human Pirate that rewards you for building a wide board presence. Once you reach ten permanents, this creature becomes a formidable threat by gaining double strike for the remainder of the match.
Understanding Ascend
Ascend is a static ability that checks if you control ten or more permanents. A permanent includes anything on the battlefield, such as lands, tokens, and creatures. Once you hit that threshold while owning a card with ascend, you gain the city's blessing, which is a status that cannot be removed, even if your permanent count later drops below ten.
How Double Strike Activates
The double strike ability on Storm Fleet Swashbuckler is conditional. It only functions as long as you have the city's blessing. Because ascend on a permanent does not use the stack, you gain the blessing the instant you control ten permanents. However, if the Swashbuckler gains double strike after the regular combat damage step has already occurred, it will not go back in time to deal first-strike damage.
Common Timing Errors
Players often think they can respond to the city's blessing being granted. In reality, if your tenth permanent is a land you play, your opponents cannot stop you from getting the blessing before it is active. Conversely, if you cast a spell that would be your tenth permanent, opponents can respond to that spell while it is on the stack to destroy your existing permanents and prevent you from reaching the required count.
Strategic Placement
This card is best utilized in decks that utilize Treasure tokens or many small creatures to quickly reach the ten-permanent requirement. Because the blessing lasts the rest of the game, Storm Fleet Swashbuckler remains a high-damage threat even after a board wipe if you manage to replay it later.
Interaction examples
Ornithopter of ParadiseIf you control nine permanents, including Storm Fleet Swashbuckler, and then cast Ornithopter of Paradise, the moment the Thopter resolves and enters the battlefield, you control ten permanents. You immediately get the city's blessing, and Storm Fleet Swashbuckler gains double strike instantly without any player being able to respond to the blessing itself.
Professional Face-Breaker
City's BlessingWith the city's blessing active, Storm Fleet Swashbuckler attacks and is not blocked. In the first-strike combat damage step, it deals damage, and Professional Face-Breaker triggers to create a Treasure token. Then, in the regular combat damage step, the Swashbuckler deals damage again, causing Professional Face-Breaker to trigger a second time, granting you two Treasures from a single attacker.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Storm Fleet Swashbuckler
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If Storm Fleet Swashbuckler gains double strike after it has dealt regular combat damage, it won't go back and deal first-strike combat damage. On the other hand, if it gains first strike somehow and then it gains double strike after dealing first-strike combat damage, it will also deal regular combat damage.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Once you have the city's blessing, you have it for the rest of the game, even if you lose control of some or all of your permanents. The city's blessing isn't a permanent itself and can't be removed by any effect.
Card named in this ruling
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
A permanent is any object on the battlefield, including tokens and lands. Spells and emblems aren't permanents.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If you cast a spell with ascend, you don't get the city's blessing until it resolves. Players may respond to that spell by trying to change whether you get the city's blessing.
Card named in this ruling
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If you control ten permanents but don't control a permanent or resolving spell with ascend, you don't get the city's blessing. For example, if you control ten permanents, lose control of one, then cast Golden Demise, you won't have the city's blessing and the spell will affect creatures you control.
Card named in this ruling
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If your tenth permanent enters the battlefield and then a permanent leaves the battlefield immediately afterwards (most likely due to the "Legend Rule" or due to being a creature with 0 toughness), you get the city's blessing before it leaves the battlefield.
Card named in this ruling
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Ascend on a permanent isn't a triggered ability and doesn't use the stack. Players can respond to a spell that will give you your tenth permanent, but they can't respond to getting the city's blessing once you control that tenth permanent. This means that if your tenth permanent is a land you play, players can't respond before you get the city's blessing.
Card named in this ruling
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
Some cards get power, toughness, and/or abilities once you have the city's blessing. If another card has an ability that triggers when creatures with certain characteristics enter the battlefield (such as Mentor of the Meek or Elemental Bond do), use the entering permanent's characteristics after you have the city's blessing to determine whether those abilities trigger. This is true even if the entering permanent is your tenth permanent.
Card named in this ruling
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Meta decks with Storm Fleet Swashbuckler
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