Valley Rally 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
Gift a Food (You may promise an opponent a gift as you cast this spell. If you do, they create a Food token before its other effects. It's an artifact with ",
, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.") Creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn. If the gift was promised, target creature you control gains first strike until end of turn.
Complete guide
Valley Rally is a versatile combat trick from the Bloomburrow set that introduces the flavorful new Gift mechanic. It allows you to trade a small resource for your opponent in exchange for a powerful combat keyword to secure a victory.
How the Gift Mechanic Works
When you cast Valley Rally, you decide whether to 'promise a gift.' In this case, the gift is a Food token. If you promise the gift, your chosen opponent will create a Food token during the spell's resolution, before any other effects occur. Promising the gift is an additional cost chosen when casting, but the opponent only receives the Food if the spell successfully resolves.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, if you promised the gift, the chosen opponent creates a Food token. Second, the +2/+0 power boost is applied to all creatures you currently control. Finally, if the gift was promised, the target creature you control gains first strike. Note that if you promise a gift, you must have a legal target for the first strike portion, or the entire spell will fail to resolve.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake involves targeting. If you promise the gift but your opponent uses a spell to remove your target creature before Valley Rally resolves, the entire spell is removed from the stack. This means your other creatures won't get the +2/+0 bonus, and the opponent won't get the Food token. Additionally, the Food token is an artifact, not a creature, and cannot be used to pay multiple costs simultaneously.
When to Play Valley Rally
This spell is best used during the declare blockers step to surprise an opponent. The +2/+0 can turn a wide board of small creatures into a lethal threat, while the first strike granted by the gift ensures your most important creature survives a trade. Only promise the gift if the first strike is necessary to win a specific combat or push through those last points of damage.
Interaction examples
FoodYou cast Valley Rally and promise the gift to your opponent. Upon resolution, they create a Food token. All your creatures get +2/+0, and your chosen target gains first strike, allowing it to deal damage and destroy a blocker before that blocker can strike back.
Chaos WarpYou cast Valley Rally promising a gift, targeting your creature. In response, your opponent casts Chaos Warp on that same creature. Because the target is no longer legal when Valley Rally tries to resolve, the spell is countered by rules. Your other creatures do not get the power boost, and the opponent does not receive the Food token.
Deflecting SwatIf you cast Valley Rally with a promised gift, an opponent can use Deflecting Swat to change the target of the first strike effect to one of their own creatures (if the spell allowed it) or another legal target you control. However, they cannot change who was promised the gift once the spell has been cast, as the opponent was chosen as part of the casting cost.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Valley Rally
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Food is an artifact type. Even though it appears on some creatures, it's never a creature type.
Card named in this ruling
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
You can't sacrifice a Food to pay multiple costs. For example, you can't sacrifice a Food token to activate its own ability and also to activate Maraleaf Rider's ability.
Card named in this ruling
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Whatever you do, don't eat the delicious cards.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
For instants and sorceries with gift, the gift is given to the appropriate opponent as part of the resolution of the spell. This happens before any of the spell's other effects would take place.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell for which the gift was promised is countered, doesn't resolve (perhaps because all of its targets are illegal), or is otherwise removed from the stack, the gift won't be given. None of its other effects will happen either.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
You can't pay a gift cost more than once.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If the gift was promised and the target is illegal as Valley Rally tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. The opponent won't create a Food token and creatures you control won't get +2/+0.
Card named in this ruling
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
Some instant or sorcery spells require alternative or additional targets if the gift was promised. You ignore these targeting requirements if the gifts aren't promised for those spells. On the other hand, you can promise a gift for a permanent spell even if you won't be able to choose targets for an enters ability of that permanent once the spell resolves.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
In the main set, there are four different kinds of gifts. "Gift a Food" causes the chosen opponent to create a Food token, while "Gift a Treasure" causes the chosen opponent to create a Treasure token. "Gift a card" causes them to draw a card, and "Gift a tapped Fish" causes them to create a tapped 1/1 blue Fish creature token. The Commander decks contain two more kinds of gifts: "Gift an Octopus," which causes the chosen opponent to create an 8/8 blue Octopus creature token, and "Gift an extra turn," which causes them to take an extra turn after the current turn ends.
Card named in this ruling
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
If you copy a spell for which the gift was promised, the gift was also promised to the same opponent for the copy. If a card or token enters as a copy of a permanent that's already on the battlefield, the gift isn't promised for that new permanent, even if it was promised for the original.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
As an additional cost to cast a spell with gift, you can promise the listed gift to an opponent. That opponent is chosen as part of that additional cost. The gift isn't given at this time; rather, it's given at a later time based on whether or not the spell is a permanent spell.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
For permanent spells with gift, an ability triggers when that permanent enters if the gift was promised. When that ability resolves, the gift is given to the appropriate opponent.
No other card is named in this ruling.
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Meta decks with Valley Rally
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