Tesak, Judith's HellhoundHow it works & interactions with other cards

Unleashing the Pack

Tesak features the Unleash keyword, which allows it to enter the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter at the cost of being unable to block. More importantly, it grants this same keyword to every other Dog you control. When a creature with Unleash enters, you choose whether to place the counter or not; this decision happens as the creature enters and cannot be responded to by opponents. Remember, if a creature has any +1/+1 counter on it—even if it didn't come from Unleash—it loses the ability to block.

Speed and Mana Generation

Tesak provides two distinct advantages for aggressive playstyles. First, it grants haste to every creature you control that has a counter on it, which includes +1/+1 counters, keyword counters, or even unique counters like divinity counters. Second, whenever Tesak attacks, it triggers a mana-generating ability. You add one Red mana for each attacking creature you currently control. This includes Tesak itself and any other creatures that were declared as attackers during the same step.

Common Pitfalls

A common mistake is forgetting how the mana generation scales. The ability checks the number of attacking creatures at the moment the trigger resolves, not when Tesak is declared as an attacker. If an opponent destroys one of your attacking creatures in response to the trigger, you will receive less mana. Additionally, putting a counter on a creature that has already been declared as a blocker will not remove it from combat; the 'can't block' restriction only prevents the declaration of a block.

Strategic Timing

Because Tesak grants haste to creatures with counters, it is highly effective to play it while you already have a board of creatures that entered earlier in the turn with counters. The mana generated by Tesak is added during the Declare Attackers step, meaning you must spend it during the combat phase (such as on combat tricks or activated abilities) or during your second main phase, as the mana will disappear when the current phase ends.

Interaction examples

Doubling the Dog's Bounty

Roaming Throne

If you control Roaming Throne and chose 'Dog' as it entered, Tesak's mana-generating ability will trigger twice whenever it attacks. If you attack with just these two creatures, the first trigger will check the board, see two attackers, and add two Red mana. The second trigger will then do the same, resulting in a total of four Red mana added to your mana pool.

Gaining Instant Haste

Solemn Simulacrum

While Solemn Simulacrum is not a Dog and does not have Unleash, Tesak grants haste to any creature you control with a counter. If you use an external effect to place a +1/+1 counter on Solemn Simulacrum the turn it enters, Tesak's static ability will immediately grant it haste, allowing the Golem to attack alongside the Hellhound and contribute to the mana generation trigger.