How do I know what part of a card will be active from a commander in the command zone?
Asked by mrloudcar 7 years ago
If I use Heliod God of the sun, will all his abilities and mana ability be active from command zone?What about sliver hivelord? I've seen commander that have abilities in the command zone and others don't. Please help?
Epochalyptik says... #2
Note that Heliod, God of the Sun does not have any mana abilities.
A mana ability is any ability that does not have targets, is not a loyalty ability, and adds mana to a player's mana pool (and, if it's a triggered ability, it must trigger from another mana ability). Mana abilities are not abilities that cost mana.
December 21, 2016 12:09 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #3
Also the term "mana ability" has a specific meaning in the MtG rules and special rules that apply to mana abilities. Because of this, it is important to note that Heliod's activated ability is not a mana ability.
Mana abilities are defined by three properties. They:
Add mana to a player's mana pool.
Don't target.
Are not loyalty abilities.
Forest, Trace of Abundance, and Mana Cylix have mana abilities. Carpet of Flowers, Xenagos, the Reveler, and Heliod, God of the Sun
December 21, 2016 12:12 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #4
Hmm apparenlty I forgot the last two words of my last post now that I re-read it. It should have said "Carpet of Flowers, Xenagos, the Reveler, and Heliod, God of the Sun do not." Also, while I was right about Carpet of Flowers not having a mana ability I was trying to use it to illistrate the wrong point since I forgot the caveat about triggered mana abilities needing to trigger from another mana ability. Witch Engine better illustrates the point I was trying to make about targeting precluding an ability from being a mana ability.
December 21, 2016 12:24 p.m.
Back to the original subject, abilities only work from the battlefield unless the specify another zone, or otherwise only make sense functioning from another zone. Oloro, Ageless Ascetic triggers from the command zone, Derevi, Empyrial Tactician's ability can be activated from the command zone, Skullbriar, the Walking Grave keeps his counters in all public zones, Karador, Ghost Chieftain costs to cast from any zone he can be cast from. Ith, High Arcanist cannot be suspended from the command zone because suspend only works from hand.
December 21, 2016 9:07 p.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #6
To add, the new partner commander Reyhan, Last of the Abzan also interacts with the command zone only because the ability explicitly states "command zone".
Boza says... Accepted answer #1
Please link all cards you are talking about.
Heliod, God of the Sun, Sliver Hivelord
No, unless explicitly stated, like only the last ability on Oloro, Ageless Ascetic, abilities on commanders do not work outside of the battlefield.
December 21, 2016 10:02 a.m.