Xavier Sal, Infested Captain 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
, Remove a counter from another permanent you control: Populate. Activate only as a sorcery. (Create a token that's a copy of a creature token you control.)
How it works : Xavier Sal, Infested Captain
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If you control no creature tokens when you populate, nothing will happen.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Populate doesn't target the creature token you're copying. You choose that creature token as you're taking the populate action. You can choose any creature token you control. If a spell or ability causes you to create a creature token and then instructs you to populate, you may choose to copy the token you just created, or you may choose to copy another creature token you control.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If you choose to copy a creature token that's a copy of another creature, the new creature token will copy the characteristics of whatever the original token is copying.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
The new creature token copies the characteristics of the original token as stated by the effect that created the original token.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
The new token doesn't copy whether the original token is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras and Equipment attached to it, or any noncopy effects that have changed its power, toughness, color, and so on.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied token will trigger when the new token enters the battlefield. Any "as [this creature] enters the battlefield" or "[this creature] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the copied token will also work.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
You don't have to choose every permanent or player that has a counter, only the ones you want to add another counter to. Since "any number" includes zero, you don't have to choose any permanents at all, and you don't have to choose any players at all.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
If a player or permanent has more than one kind of counter on it, and you choose for it to get additional counters, it must get one of each kind of counter it already has. You can't have it get just one kind of counter it already has and not the others.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
An ability that triggers "Whenever you proliferate" triggers even if you chose no permanents or players while doing so.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
Players can respond to a spell or ability whose effect includes proliferating. Once that spell or ability starts to resolve, however, and its controller chooses which permanents and players will get new counters, it's too late for anyone to respond.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
To proliferate, you can choose any permanent that has a counter, including ones controlled by opponents. You can choose any player who has a counter, including opponents. You can't choose cards in any zone other than the battlefield, even if they have counters on them.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Xavier Sal, Infested Captain + Basking Broodscale + Intruder Alarm
- 1Activate Xavier Sal's second ability by tapping it and sacrificing any other creature you control, putting a +1/+1 counter on Basking Broodscale
- 2Basking Broodscale triggers, creating a 0/1 Eldrazi Spawn creature token.
- 3When the Eldrazi Spawn enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers, untapping all creatures.
- 4Repeat.
- 5Once you have infinite +1/+1 counters on Basking Broodscale, you may instead use Xavier Sal's first ability to get infinite copies of creature tokens you control.
Xavier Sal, Infested Captain + Scurry Oak + Intruder Alarm
- 1Activate Xavier Sal's second ability by tapping it and sacrificing any other creature you control, putting a +1/+1 counter on Scurry Oak.
- 2Scurry Oak triggers, creating a 1/1 Squirrel creature token.
- 3When the Squirrel enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers, untapping all creatures.
- 4Repeat.
- 5Once you have infinite +1/+1 counters on Scurry Oak, you may instead use Xavier Sal's first ability to get infinite copies of creature tokens you control.
Xavier Sal, Infested Captain + Intruder Alarm + Master Biomancer
- 1Activate Xavier Sal's first ability by removing a counter from a permanent you control, creating a copy of a creature token you control that enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it due to Master Biomancer.
- 2When the creature token enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers, untapping all creatures.
- 3Repeat.
Xavier Sal, Infested Captain + Venser, Corpse Puppet + Intruder Alarm
- 1Activate Xavier Sal's second ability by tapping it and sacrificing another creature you control, causing you to proliferate.
- 2Venser triggers, creating a 3/3 The Hollow Sentinel legendary artifact creature token.
- 3When The Hollow Sentinel enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers, untapping all creatures.
- 4Repeat.
Xavier Sal, Infested Captain + Intruder Alarm + Tribute to the World Tree
- 1Activate Xavier Sal's first ability by tapping it and removing a counter from a permanent you control, creating a copy of any creature token you control with base power 2 or less.
- 2When the creature token enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm and Tribute to the World Tree trigger.
- 3Resolve the Intruder Alarm trigger, untapping all creatures.
- 4Resolve the Tribute to the World Tree trigger, putting two +1/+1 counters on the creature token.
- 5Repeat.
Xavier Sal, Infested Captain + Scurry Oak + Thornbite Staff
- 1Activate Xavier Sal's second ability by tapping it and sacrificing any other creature you control.
- 2When the creature dies, Xavier Sal triggers, untapping Xavier Sal.
- 3Resolve the Xavier Sal ability from step 1, putting a +1/+1 counter on Scurry Oak.
- 4Scurry Oak triggers, creating a 1/1 Squirrel creature token.
- 5Repeat.
- 6Once you have infinite +1/+1 counters on Scurry Oak, you may instead use Xavier Sal's first ability to get infinite copies of creature tokens you control.
Xavier Sal, Infested Captain + Intruder Alarm + Renata, Called to the Hunt
- 1Activate Xavier Sal's first ability by removing a counter from a permanent you control, creating a copy of a creature token you control that enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it due to Renata.
- 2When the creature token enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers, untapping all creatures.
- 3Repeat.
Xavier Sal, Infested Captain + Intruder Alarm + Master Chef
- 1Activate Xavier Sal's first ability by tapping it and removing a counter from a permanent you control, creating a copy of any creature token you control that enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
- 2When the creature token enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers, untapping all creatures.
- 3Repeat.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Xavier Sal, Infested Captain
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