Welcome to ValleyHow it works & interactions with other cards

Defining the Animal Spell

The first ability of Welcome to Valley is a triggered ability that triggers whenever you cast an 'animal' spell. According to the oracle text, animals are defined as any non-human creature types that represent animals in real life. This includes a wide range of types such as Cat, Bird, Wolf, Rat, and Bear. If the creature spell you cast has at least one of these types and is not a Human, you will draw a card when the spell is cast, regardless of whether the spell eventually resolves or is countered.

How Chaos Copies Resolve

When you roll the Chaos symbol on the planar die, the second ability triggers. You must choose a target creature you control as the ability is put onto the stack. When the ability resolves, you create a token that is a copy of that creature, but the copy has one specific modification: its base power and toughness are 1/1. This is a copiable value, meaning if you later populate that token, the new token will also be a 1/1.

Strategic Timing and Common Mistakes

A common mistake is assuming that any non-human creature qualifies as an animal. Mythical creatures like Dragons or Demons do not count as 'animals in real life' unless they also possess a relevant type like Bird or Lizard. Additionally, remember that the card draw triggers on 'casting,' not when the creature enters the battlefield. This means you get your card even if an opponent uses a counterspell.

When to Planar Walk

You should aim to stay in the Valley if your hand is full of low-cost animal creatures to maximize your draws. Conversely, if you control a creature with a powerful 'Enters the Battlefield' ability or a static effect that doesn't rely on high power/toughness, you should roll the planar die aggressively to hunt for the Chaos effect and duplicate those utility creatures.

Interaction examples

Fueling the Valley

Command TowerSol Ring

While Command Tower and Sol Ring provide the mana needed to cast your spells, they do not trigger Welcome to Valley because they are not creature spells. You would use the mana from Sol Ring to cast animal creatures from your hand, which then triggers the draw ability.

Copying Utility

Sol Ring

If you control a creature that provides utility, like a creature that taps for mana similar to how Sol Ring functions, rolling Chaos allows you to target it. You receive a 1/1 version of that creature. While it is smaller in combat, it retains all the original creature's abilities, effectively doubling your utility on the board.