Undercellar Sweep 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
When this enchantment enters, you take the initiative. Whenever you attack, if you or a player you're attacking has the initiative, you create two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens that are tapped and attacking.
Complete guide
Undercellar Sweep is a powerful enchantment that brings the strategic depth of the Undercity dungeon to your battlefield. By seizing the initiative and flooding the board with soldiers, this card turns every combat phase into a potential dungeon crawl and a tactical advantage.
Seizing the Initiative
When Undercellar Sweep enters the battlefield, you 'take the initiative.' This special designation allows you to venture into the Undercity dungeon immediately. While you hold the initiative, you venture again at the start of each of your upkeeps. Be careful, however: if an opponent deals combat damage to you, they will take the initiative for themselves, potentially using your own mechanics against you.
Army of the Undercellar
The second ability of Undercellar Sweep triggers whenever you declare an attack. If you have the initiative, or if any player you are currently attacking has the initiative, the enchantment creates two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens. These tokens enter the battlefield already tapped and attacking, which means they do not trigger 'whenever a creature attacks' abilities themselves, but they immediately contribute to your combat pressure.
Navigating the Undercity
Venturing into the Undercity follows specific rules. If you are not currently in a dungeon, you must start in the Secret Entrance of the Undercity. If you are already in a different dungeon (like Lost Mine of Phandelver), you simply move to the next room of that dungeon instead. You can only start the Undercity dungeon specifically if an effect tells you to 'take the initiative' or 'venture into Undercity'.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is assuming you get tokens if the initiative is held by a player you aren't attacking. The ability specifically checks if you (the attacker) or the specific player being attacked holds the designation. Additionally, remember that the Soldier tokens are created after attackers are declared; you cannot use those new tokens to trigger other 'whenever you attack' abilities in the same combat phase.
Interaction examples
Anointed ProcessionWith Anointed Procession on the battlefield, the triggered ability of Undercellar Sweep is modified. When you attack while holding the initiative, instead of creating two 1/1 Soldier tokens, you will create four. These four tokens will all enter the battlefield tapped and attacking.
Undercity // The InitiativeWhen Undercellar Sweep enters, you take the initiative and enter the Secret Entrance of the Undercity, searching for a basic land. If you still have the initiative at the start of your next upkeep, you move to either the Forge (to put two +1/+1 counters on a creature) or the Lost Well (to Scry 2).
SoldierIf you attack an opponent who has stolen the initiative from you, Undercellar Sweep triggers. You create two 1/1 white Soldier tokens. Even though you don't have the initiative, the fact that the defending player does satisfies the condition, helping you build a board to take the initiative back through combat damage.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Undercellar Sweep
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The initiative is a designation a player can have. A player with the initiative designation is said to “have the initiative.” The initiative carries two inherent rules. First, whenever a player takes the initiative, and at the beginning of the upkeep of the player with the initiative, that player ventures into Undercity. Second, whenever one or more creatures a player controls deal combat damage to the player who has the initiative, the first player takes the initiative. Also, some abilities will refer to having the initiative and provide other benefits.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
There is no initiative in a game until an effect instructs a player to take the initiative. Once a player is instructed to do this, they have the initiative until another player takes the initiative.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Only one player can have the initiative at a time. As one player takes the initiative, any other player that had the initiative ceases to have it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
A player who currently has the initiative may take the initiative again. This causes that player to venture into Undercity again, but does not cause them to have multiple initiative designations.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If the player with the initiative leaves the game, the active player takes the initiative at the same time that player leaves the game. If the active player is leaving the game or if there is no active player, the next player in turn order takes the initiative.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
In a Two-Headed Giant game, if both players on a team deal combat damage to the player that has the initiative at the same time, the player with the initiative will choose the order of the triggered abilities. Then, as those abilities resolve, one team member takes the initiative (and ventures into Undercity) and then the other team member does the same. The last player to take the initiative keeps it until the initiative changes again.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
You cannot venture into Undercity unless instructed to do so, either because you have the initiative at the beginning of your upkeep or because you take the initiative. Notably, if you aren’t in a dungeon and an effect instructs you to venture into the dungeon (not venture into Undercity), you can’t start Undercity.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
Similarly, when instructed to venture into Undercity, you can’t start a dungeon that isn’t Undercity.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
If you aren’t in a dungeon when instructed to venture into Undercity, you will put Undercity into the command zone and move your venture marker to Secret Entrance (the first room).
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
If you’re already in a dungeon when instructed to venture into Undercity, you move to the next room of that dungeon. If you are already in the last room, you will complete that dungeon and start Undercity. This is true whether you’re already in Undercity or any other dungeon.
No other card is named in this ruling.
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