Word of Command?
Asked by Profet93 7 years ago
Hey guys, I have a question about Word of Command.
Do I only get to look at my opponent's hand after Word of Command has been cast, or only after it has finished resolving? I feel like it is a very weird card.
Is there any situation in which this card would be particularly useful, like a MBC EDH Deck?
Which forum specifically are you referring to? So if I cast word of command, and they use counterspell to counter it, then I do not get to look at their hand, correct?
May 24, 2016 2:40 p.m.
TheRedMage says... Accepted answer #3
That is accurate. Here is the oracle text on Word of Command:
Look at target opponent's hand and choose a card from it. You control that player until Word of Command finishes resolving. The player plays that card if able. While doing so, the player can activate mana abilities only if they're from lands he or she controls and only if mana they produce is spent to activate other mana abilities of lands he or she controls and/or play that card. If the chosen card is cast as a spell, you control the player while that spell is resolving.
This is one of those cards that is trying to do something fairly clear - you pick a spell from your opponent's hand and force them to cast it - but is very hard to write down in magic-ese. You will start looking at a player's hand as soon as the spell starts resolving. After that, you take control of that player, which means you have access to every bit of information they do (including their hand, what their face-down morphs are, and what is their sideboard) until Word of Command is done resolving. However, if the spell is countered, you never get to look at their hand to begin with.
Also, to clarify: this is the right place to ask the first question you had ("when do I get to see their hands?"). What acbooster was suggesting is that card evaluation and deckbuilding tips, which are the answer to your second question ("when is this card good?") should probably go in the Commander Forums.
May 24, 2016 4:29 p.m. Edited.
Ah, that makes sense. Thank you for your detailed explanation. I now have the card in my wish list to buy and I will post in that forum. :)
May 24, 2016 4:39 p.m.
TheRedMage says... #5
No problem. Remember that you should always read the Oracle text of old cards like that. What is actually printed on the card is often misleading.
acbooster says... #1
It happens as the spell resolves. Just like any other spell, it does nothing on cast other than trigger any on cast abilities of permanents on the field or emblems that are in effect. Once it begins to resolve you do as many of the actions listed on it as possible, which in this case means looking at your opponent's hand, choosing a card from it, and having them play that card. If it's a nonland card, you choose the targets of the spell if there are any.
It's important to note that if you have your opponent cast a creature that has an ETB effect, they get to choose the targets for the ability since Word of Command's player controlling effect only lasts until the spell your opponent casts resolves.
The Q&A is only for rules questions, so you'd be better off asking in one of the forums for suggestions on where Word of Command would be most useful.
May 24, 2016 2:25 p.m. Edited.