Toph, Earthbending Master 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
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, you get an experience counter. Whenever you attack, earthbend X, where X is the number of experience counters you have. (Target land you control becomes a 0/0 creature with haste that's still a land. Put X +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies or is exiled, return it to the battlefield tapped.)
Complete guide
Harness the power of the earth with Toph, Earthbending Master, a legendary commander who rewards your connection to the land. By accumulating experience counters through landfall, you can transform your terrain into an unstoppable army that returns to the battlefield even after being destroyed. Toph ensures that your resources are never truly lost, provided you keep your eyes on the battlefield.
Mastering the Earthbend Mechanic
Toph uses the Earthbend keyword, which scales based on the number of experience counters you have. When you attack, you target a land you control; it becomes a 0/0 creature with haste that retains its land types and mana-producing abilities. It then receives X +1/+1 counters, where X is your current experience total. Crucially, the effect creates a delayed triggered ability: if that land dies or is exiled, it returns to the battlefield tapped under your control.
Accumulating Experience
Experience counters are placed on you, the player, rather than on Toph itself. This means even if Toph leaves the battlefield, you retain those counters for the rest of the game. Every time a land enters the battlefield under your control, Toph's Landfall ability triggers, granting you one experience counter. All experience counters are identical, so any counters gained from other sources will also contribute to the power of your Earthbend effect.
Common Mistakes and Nuances
Remember that Earthbend sets the base power and toughness of the land to 0/0. If you Earthbend a land that was already a creature from a different effect, its previous base power and toughness will be overwritten by the 0/0 setting. Additionally, the 'return to battlefield' trigger only occurs if the land is moved to the graveyard or exile; if the land is returned to your hand or tucked into your library, it will not return to the battlefield.
Strategic Timing
Because Toph triggers 'Whenever you attack,' you don't necessarily have to attack with Toph herself to activate Earthbend. You can keep Toph safely back in the command zone or as a blocker while your animated lands and other creatures lead the charge. This allows you to aggressively use your lands as creatures, knowing they will likely return to the battlefield tapped to be used for mana on your next turn.
Interaction examples
Toph, Earthbending Master
Solemn SimulacrumWith Toph on the battlefield, you cast Solemn Simulacrum. When it enters, its ability triggers, allowing you to put a basic land onto the battlefield. This land entry triggers Toph's Landfall ability, immediately granting you an experience counter. If you then move to combat and attack, Toph will Earthbend for at least 1, turning your new land into a 1/1 attacker with haste that will return if destroyed.
Suppose you have 5 experience counters. When you attack, you target a Forest. The Forest becomes a 0/0 creature with 5 +1/+1 counters and haste. If your opponent casts an exile spell on that Forest creature, Toph's Earthbend ability triggers, and the Forest is immediately returned to the battlefield tapped. This allows you to trigger Landfall again, giving you a 6th experience counter.
Eternal WitnessIf Toph, Earthbending Master is destroyed and put into the graveyard, you retain all experience counters you earned while she was on the battlefield. When you play Eternal Witness and return Toph to your hand to recast her, you do not start from zero. The next land that enters under your control will add to your existing total, and your subsequent Earthbend triggers will be just as powerful as before.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Toph, Earthbending Master
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If the targeted land becomes an illegal target before the spell or ability that includes earthbend resolves, earthbend does nothing. If the spell or ability didn't have other targets, it won't resolve.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Earthbend doesn't give the land you control a color. As most lands are colorless, in most cases the resulting land creature will also be colorless.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
All experience counters are identical, no matter how you got them. For example, the last ability will count experience counters that you got from the first ability, from another ability, from another copy of Toph, Earthbending Master, and so on.
Card named in this ruling
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
The land will retain any other types, subtypes, or supertypes it previously had. It will also retain any mana abilities it had as a result of those subtypes. For example, a Forest that's turned into a creature this way can still be tapped for
.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
The experience counter goes on you, the player, not on Toph. You will keep that counter even if Toph, Earthbending Master dies.
Card named in this ruling
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
"Earthbend N" means "Target land you control becomes a 0/0 land creature with haste in addition to its other types. Put N +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies or is exiled, return it to the battlefield tapped under your control."
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
You may target a land that is already a creature, perhaps because of a previous earthbend ability. The land will get the +1/+1 counters, gain haste, and have its base power and toughness set to 0/0.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
If a land was animated by earthbend and would go to any zone other than the graveyard or exile, it will not be returned to the battlefield by the delayed triggered ability created by earthbend.
No other card is named in this ruling.
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