Teval, Arbiter of Virtue 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
Flying, lifelink Spells you cast have delve. (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting those spells pays for.) Whenever you cast a spell, you lose life equal to its mana value.
Complete guide
Teval, Arbiter of Virtue is a powerful Spirit Dragon that turns your graveyard into a second hand by granting every spell you cast the delve ability. While this allows for massive mana acceleration, it comes at a steep price, forcing you to trade your life force for every spell you resolve. Managing your graveyard and your life total becomes a delicate balancing act under Teval's watchful eye.
Understanding Universal Delve
Teval's primary ability gives every spell you cast delve. This means that for each generic mana in a spell's total cost, you may exile a card from your graveyard instead of paying that mana. It is important to remember that delve only pays for generic mana; you must still pay any colored mana requirements using traditional sources. This ability applies to creatures, sorceries, instants, and even artifacts or enchantments while they are on the stack.
The Price of Power
Every time you cast a spell, Teval's triggered ability goes on the stack, causing you to lose life equal to that spell's mana value. This occurs regardless of how much mana you actually paid or how many cards you exiled with delve. The mana value is determined by the symbols in the top right corner of the card, including any value chosen for X if applicable. Because this is a triggered ability, it happens after the spell is cast but before it resolves.
Strategy and Timing
Because Teval has lifelink and flying, you can offset the life loss by attacking your opponents. It is often best to fill your graveyard early with fetch lands or cheap cantrips so that when Teval hits the battlefield, you can immediately chain multiple spells together. However, be cautious: if your life total is low, casting a high-cost spell could result in losing the game before the spell even takes effect.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumIf you control Teval, Arbiter of Virtue and want to cast Solemn Simulacrum, you determine the cost (4 generic mana). You can exile up to four cards from your graveyard to pay for the entire cost. Once cast, Teval's ability triggers, and you will lose 4 life, which is the mana value of the Simulacrum.
Roaming ThroneIf you cast Roaming Throne and choose 'Dragon', Teval is now a Dragon and a Spirit. When you cast a subsequent spell, Teval's life-loss ability triggers. Because Roaming Throne is on the battlefield, that ability triggers an additional time. If you then cast a spell with a mana value of 5, you would lose 5 life twice, totaling 10 life.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Teval, Arbiter of Virtue
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
“Delve” means “For each generic mana in this spell’s total cost, you may exile a card from your graveyard rather than pay that mana.” The delve ability isn’t an additional or alternative cost and applies only after the total cost of the spell with delve is determined.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell on the stack has an
in its mana cost, use the value of X chosen as it was cast to determine that spell’s mana value.No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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