Tadeas, Juniper AscendantHow it works & interactions with other cards

Tactical Protection and Offense

Tadeas possesses reach and hexproof, but his hexproof is conditional: he only has it as long as he is not attacking. This makes him difficult to remove while he stands guard. Furthermore, whenever any creature you control with reach attacks, Tadeas triggers to untap it and grant it a unique evasion ability, preventing creatures with greater power from blocking it for the rest of the combat phase.

Combat Resolution and Card Draw

When you declare attackers with reach, the untap and evasion triggers are put on the stack. Once combat damage is dealt to a player by one or more of your creatures, a separate ability triggers. Note that even if five creatures deal damage simultaneously, you only draw one card from this specific trigger, as it specifies 'one or more creatures.'

Strategic Evasion

The 'can't be blocked by creatures with greater power' clause is checked only at the moment blockers are declared. If the power of a potential blocker changes after it has already been legally declared as a blocker, it does not become unblocked. This makes reach creatures excellent at slipping past large threats that your opponent was relying on for defense.

When to Deploy Tadeas

Tadeas is best played when you have a board presence that can take advantage of his combat triggers. Because he untaps your attackers, you can safely swing for damage and card draw without leaving yourself open to a counterattack, as your reach creatures will be ready to block during your opponent's next turn.

Interaction examples

Drawing Through Combat

Solemn Simulacrum

If you attack with Tadeas and Solemn Simulacrum and both deal combat damage to your opponent, Tadeas's last ability triggers. Even though two creatures dealt damage, you draw exactly one card. This occurs in addition to any value Solemn Simulacrum provided when it entered the battlefield.

Recovering and Attacking

Eternal Witness

Imagine you use Eternal Witness to return a card from your graveyard to your hand. On your next turn, you attack with Tadeas. Because Tadeas has reach, he untaps himself via his own ability. While Eternal Witness does not have reach and won't untap, if either she or Tadeas deals combat damage to the player, you will draw a card, replenishing your hand even further.