Card library

Court of Ambition

Magic: The GatheringCommander Legends#114

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Magic: The Gathering

Mana cost

Commander LegendsCMR · #114
Card type
Enchantment
Rarity
Rare
Indicative price
5.58 € · ★ 5.47 € · 6.69 $ · ★ 5.90 $
Mana value
4
Colour
Black

Card text

When this enchantment enters, you become the monarch. At the beginning of your upkeep, each opponent loses 3 life unless they discard a card. If you're the monarch, instead each opponent loses 6 life unless they discard two cards.

Format legality

  • CommanderLegal
  • DuelLegal
  • LegacyLegal
  • OathbreakerLegal
  • VintageLegal

Legalities follow the imported catalogue; check format rules before a tournament.
Data imported on 2026-10-06 (UTC).

Indicative Scryfall prices, updated daily. ★: foil; ★ E: etched foil. EUR and USD represent different markets.

Printing information

Illustrator
Ravenna Tran
Card language
English
Release date
2020-11-20

Flavour text

Watch your step.

Rulings

As Court of Ambition's second ability resolves, first the next opponent in turn order chooses whether they are discarding or not. If they are, they choose a card without revealing it (or two cards without revealing them, if you're the monarch), then each other opponent in turn order does the same. Then each chosen card is discarded simultaneously, and finally each player who couldn't or didn't discard loses the appropriate amount of life.

If combat damage dealt to the monarch causes that player to lose the game, the triggered ability that causes the controller of the attacking creature to become the monarch doesn't resolve. In most cases, the controller of the attacking creature will still become the monarch as it is likely their turn.

If the monarch leaves the game during another player's turn, that player becomes the monarch. If the monarch leaves the game during their turn, the next player in turn order becomes the monarch.

If the triggered ability that causes the monarch to draw a card goes on the stack and a different player becomes the monarch before that ability resolves, the first player will still draw the card.

The game starts with no monarch. Once an effect makes one player the monarch, the game will have exactly one monarch from that point forward. As a player becomes the monarch, the current monarch (if any) ceases being the monarch.

There are two inherent triggered abilities associated with being the monarch. These triggered abilities have no source and are controlled by the player who was the monarch at the time the abilities triggered. The full texts of these abilities are "At the beginning of the monarch's end step, that player draws a card" and "Whenever a creature deals combat damage to the monarch, its controller becomes the monarch."

Other printings of this card

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