mtg.wtf

Details

• Artist: Anditya Dita
• Collector Number: 19
• Available foil and nonfoil
• Frame Effects: showcase, legendary
• Promo: boosterfun
• Rarity: mythic
• Released: 2023-11-17
• Set: The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander
• Stamp: oval

Legalities

• legal Commander
• legal Duel Commander
• legal Legacy
• legal Vintage

Rulings

• 2023-11-10 Each of your Merfolk creatures will explore during the resolution of Hakbal of the Surging Soul's first ability. Players won't be able to respond between the explores.
• 2023-11-10 If a resolving spell or ability instructs a specific creature to explore but that creature has left the battlefield, the creature still explores. If you reveal a nonland card this way, you won't put a +1/+1 counter on anything, but you may put the revealed card into your graveyard. Effects that trigger "whenever a creature explores" trigger as appropriate.
• 2023-11-10 If an ability instructs a creature to explore, its controller reveals the top card of their library. If it's a land card, they'll put it into their hand. Otherwise, they'll put a +1/+1 counter on that creature, then choose to either leave that card on top of their library or put it into their graveyard.
• 2023-11-10 If no card is revealed, most likely because that player's library is empty, the exploring creature receives a +1/+1 counter.
• 2023-11-10 If you control multiple Merfolk, you choose the order in which they explore. Make sure it's clear which Merfolk is exploring before you reveal any cards.
• 2023-11-10 In some unusual cases, noncreature permanents may explore. For example, if the creature card returned by Defossilize is somehow not a creature once it's on the battlefield, it can still explore. You'll take all the same actions, and you may end up putting a +1/+1 counter on the permanent. (Note that some effects target a creature, and those effects would still require a legal target to have it explore.)
• 2023-11-10 Once an ability that causes a creature to explore begins to resolve, no player may take any other actions until it's done. Notably, opponents can't try to remove the exploring creature after you reveal a nonland card but before it receives a counter.
• 2023-11-10 Some spells or abilities might cause a creature to explore multiple times in a row. If you reveal a nonland card when a creature explores and leave it on top of your library, then the creature explores again immediately afterwards, you'll reveal the same card again.

Links

• Gatherer