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Serpent-Blade Assailant

Serpent-Blade Assailant

Creature — Elf Warrior

common

Backup 1 (When this creature enters, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. If that's another creature, it gains the following ability until end of turn.) Deathtouch

2/1

$0.27 ✦ $0.18View on Scryfall →

Semantic Tags

Cares about +1/+1 counters — places, moves, doubles, or benefits from counters on creatures.

Deathtouchmechanical

A keyword ability that causes damage dealt by an object to be especially effective. See rule 702.2, “Deathtouch.”

Has or grants deathtouch — kills anything it damages, effective deterrent and combat removal.

ETB Mattersmechanical

Triggers when a creature or permanent enters the battlefield. Prime blink targets.

Takes extra combat phases for additional attacks and triggers.

Permanentmechanical

A card or token on the battlefield. See rule 110, “Permanents.”

Format Legality

commanderlegal
oathbreakerlegal
modernlegal
pioneerlegal
standardnot legal
legacylegal
vintagelegal
pauperlegal
historiclegal
explorernot legal
alchemynot legal

Price history

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Printings (1)

SetRarityTCGplayerCard KingdomCardmarket
March of the Machine#205common···

Related Concepts

Backup

A keyword ability that lets a creature give +1/+1 counters to itself or another when it enters the battlefield. If a different creature is chosen, that creature also temporarily gains one or more abilities. See rule 702.165, “Backup.”

Deathtouch

A keyword ability that causes damage dealt by an object to be especially effective. See rule 702.2, “Deathtouch.”

Related Rules

106.5

If an ability would produce one or more mana of an undefined type, it produces no mana instead.

106.7

Some abilities produce mana based on the type of mana another permanent or permanents “could produce.” The type of mana a permanent could produce at any time includes any type of mana that an ability of that permanent would produce if the ability were to resolve at that time, taking into account any applicable replacement effects in any possible order. Ignore whether any costs of the ability could or could not be paid. If that permanent wouldn’t produce any mana under these conditions, or no type of mana can be defined this way, there’s no type of mana it could produce.

106.12

To “tap [a permanent] for mana” is to activate a mana ability of that permanent that includes the {T} symbol in its activation cost. See rule 605, “Mana Abilities.”

106.12a

An ability that triggers whenever a permanent “is tapped for mana” or is tapped for mana of a specified type triggers whenever such a mana ability resolves and produces mana or the specified type of mana.

106.12b

A replacement effect that applies if a permanent “is tapped for mana” or tapped for mana of a specific type and/or amount modifies the mana production event while such an ability is resolving and producing mana or the specified type and/or amount of mana.

107.3m

If an object’s enters-the-battlefield triggered ability or replacement effect refers to X, and the spell that became that object as it resolved had a value of X chosen for any of its costs, the value of X for that ability is the same as the value of X for that spell, although the value of X for that permanent is 0. This is an exception to rule 107.3i.

107.5

The tap symbol is {T}. The tap symbol in an activation cost means “Tap this permanent.” A permanent that’s already tapped can’t be tapped again to pay the cost. A creature’s activated ability with the tap symbol in its activation cost can’t be activated unless the creature has been under its controller’s control continuously since their most recent turn began. See rule 302.6.

107.6

The untap symbol is {Q}. The untap symbol in an activation cost means “Untap this permanent.” A permanent that’s already untapped can’t be untapped again to pay the cost. A creature’s activated ability with the untap symbol in its activation cost can’t be activated unless the creature has been under its controller’s control continuously since their most recent turn began. See rule 302.6.

Rulings

2023-04-14

If a backup ability targets the creature with backup, that creature will get +1/+1 counters, but it won’t gain additional abilities.

2023-04-14

If a backup ability causes another creature to gain abilities, the creature with backup will still have those abilities.

2023-04-14

Backup confers only abilities that are actually printed below it. Any abilities that are gained by the permanent are ignored, including abilities gained due to a resolving spell or ability or copy effects.

2023-04-14

The abilities that backup grants to the target creature are determined only once, at the time the ability triggers. They won’t change if the permanent with backup loses any abilities before the backup ability resolves.

2023-04-14

If a permanent enters the battlefield as a copy of a card with a backup ability or a token is created that is a copy of that card, the order of the printed abilities is maintained.