Tarmogoyf 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
Tarmogoyf's power is equal to the number of card types among cards in all graveyards and its toughness is equal to that number plus 1.
Complete guide
Tarmogoyf is one of the most iconic creatures in Magic history, known for its ability to grow into a massive threat for just two mana. By counting the card types in all graveyards, it serves as a dynamic force that rewards you for simply playing the game. Understanding how it calculates its stats is key to mastering both its offensive and defensive potential.
What It Does
Tarmogoyf has a characteristic-defining ability that sets its power and toughness based on the number of unique card types found in all graveyards. The card types it looks for are artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, kindred (formerly tribal), land, planeswalker, and sorcery. Notably, supertypes like 'Legendary' or 'Basic' do not count toward this total, nor do subtypes like 'Elf' or 'Aura'.
How It Resolves Step by Step
First, the game continuously checks every graveyard for unique card types. Second, Tarmogoyf's power is set to that total number, while its toughness is that number plus 1. This calculation is updated constantly, even while Tarmogoyf is in your hand, library, or graveyard. Importantly, if a spell like a sorcery is what causes a Tarmogoyf to take lethal damage, that sorcery enters the graveyard before the game checks if Tarmogoyf dies, potentially increasing its toughness just in time to survive.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is double-counting cards that have multiple types. For example, an 'Artifact Creature' in the graveyard adds two to the count if no other artifacts or creatures are present, but it only represents those two specific types. Another mistake is forgetting that Tarmogoyf counts cards in all graveyards, including your opponents'. Finally, remember that tokens do not exist in the graveyard for long; they disappear almost immediately and generally do not contribute to Tarmogoyf's stats.
When to Play It
Tarmogoyf is best played in decks that use a variety of card types, such as those featuring fetch lands, cheap spells, and creatures that die easily. It is most effective early in the game to establish pressure or late in the game when graveyards are full. Because it scales naturally as the match progresses, it rarely feels like a dead draw.
Interaction examples
If your graveyard contains only Tarmogoyf Nest, Tarmogoyf will be a 2/3. This is because Tarmogoyf Nest is a 'Kindred Enchantment,' contributing two distinct card types (Kindred and Enchantment) to the graveyard total.
When you have Disa the Restless on the battlefield and your creatures deal combat damage to a player, you create a Tarmogoyf token. This token will have the same power and toughness ability as the original card, scaling based on the card types currently in all graveyards.
Birds of Paradise
Llanowar ElvesIf your graveyard contains one Birds of Paradise and one Llanowar Elves, Tarmogoyf will be a 1/2. Even though there are two cards, they share the same card type (Creature), so they only count as one type for Tarmogoyf's calculation.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Tarmogoyf
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Tarmogoyf counts card types, not cards. If the only card in all graveyards is a single artifact creature, Tarmogoyf will be 2/3. If the only cards in all graveyards are ten artifact creatures, Tarmogoyf will still be 2/3.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If an instant or sorcery spell deals damage to Tarmogoyf or lowers its toughness, that spell is put into its owner's graveyard before state-based actions are performed. If that card is the first of its type to enter a graveyard, it will raise Tarmogoyf's toughness before the game checks to see if Tarmogoyf dies.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The ability that defines Tarmogoyf's power and toughness works in all zones, not just the battlefield. If Tarmogoyf is in your graveyard, it will count itself.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
The card types that can appear on cards in a graveyard are artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, kindred, land, planeswalker, and sorcery. Legendary, basic, and snow are supertypes, not card types.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Some older printings of this card reference the "tribal" card type in their reminder text. That card type's name has been replaced with "kindred". This change does not affect the gameplay function of those cards or of Tarmogoyf. (The same older printings of this card also fail to reference the "battle" card type, which didn't exist at the time, but Tarmogoyf's ability still counts that card type.)
No other card is named in this ruling.
Interactions with other cards
These cards' text mentions Tarmogoyf.
Enchant land Enchanted land has "{1}{G}, {T}: Create a Tarmogoyf token." (It's a {1}{G} Lhurgoyf creature with "Tarmogoyf's power is equal to the number of card types among cards in all graveyards and its toughness is equal to that number plus 1.")
Whenever a Lhurgoyf permanent card is put into your graveyard from anywhere other than the battlefield, put it onto the battlefield. Whenever one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, create a Tarmogoyf token.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Tarmogoyf
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.