When We Were Young 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
Up to two target creatures each get +2/+2 until end of turn. If you control an artifact and an enchantment, those creatures also gain lifelink until end of turn.
Complete guide
When We Were Young is a versatile combat trick that can swing a game in your favor by boosting your creatures and restoring your life total. By empowering up to two creatures at once, it serves as both a defensive tool and an offensive powerhouse. Understanding the timing of its conditions is key to maximizing its value on the battlefield.
Boosting Your Forces
When you cast When We Were Young, you choose up to two target creatures. Upon resolution, each of these creatures receives a +2/+2 bonus until the end of the turn. This bonus is independent of whether you control any other permanents, ensuring your creatures get stronger regardless of your board state.
The Lifelink Condition
The spell features a specific bonus: if you control both an artifact and an enchantment as the spell resolves, the targeted creatures also gain lifelink. Crucially, a single permanent that is both an artifact and an enchantment satisfies this condition. The game checks for these permanent types only during the resolution of the spell, not when it is cast.
Strategic Timing and Targets
A common mistake is assuming the lifelink targets the artifact or enchantment; the text 'those creatures' refers strictly to the creatures you targeted. If you lose control of your only artifact or enchantment in response to the spell, the creatures will still get +2/+2 but will not gain lifelink.
When to Play It
This instant is best used during the declare blockers step to surprise an opponent. It can turn two unfavorable trades into victories while providing a significant life point swing if your artifact and enchantment requirements are met.
Interaction examples
Generous GiftYou cast When We Were Young targeting two creatures while you control one enchantment. An opponent responds with Generous Gift, destroying your enchantment. When the spell resolves, it checks your board, finds no enchantment, and grants your creatures +2/+2 without lifelink.
Teferi's ProtectionIf you cast Teferi's Protection in response to your own When We Were Young, all your permanents phase out and are treated as though they do not exist. Since you no longer 'control' an artifact or enchantment on the battlefield during resolution, the targeted creatures (if they were not the ones phased out) will not gain lifelink.
If you only have one creature on the battlefield, you can still cast this spell targeting just that one creature. It will receive +2/+2 and potentially lifelink, while the second target is simply omitted.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : When We Were Young
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
“Those creatures” refers to the target creatures, not the artifact and the enchantment.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The artifact and the enchantment may be the same permanent.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Whether you control an artifact and an enchantment is checked as When We Were Young resolves.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with When We Were Young
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.