You've got a lot of permanents in play, don't you? Wouldn't it be great if there was a Magic: The Gathering mechanic that paid you off for doing exactly that? Lucky for you, there is, and I'm here to show you what it is and how it works. That's right, I'm Luka Sharaska, and today we're going to be discussing the Ascend mechanic.

What is Ascend & How Does It Work?

Ascend is a keyword that checks to see if you control at least ten permanents. Quite literally, the reminder text of Ascend is, "If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game." That's all, folks! I hope you'll join me next time when we tackle The City's Blessing. I've been Luka Sharaska, and this was the Ascend mechanic! (just kidding)

Jokes aside, we're gonna dive deeper into the city's blessing, don't worry. To start, here's a handful of tips to help you understand how Ascendworks and what it does.

• All cards with Ascend can grant you the city's blessing, and they are the only way to obtain it. To repeat, you must play an Ascend card to get the city's blessing.
• Ascend can be on both permanents and noncreature spells.
• On permanents, Ascend is constantly tracking whether or not you have ten or more permanents, and once you do, you get the city's blessing.
• On noncreature spells, Ascend checks on resolutionto see if you have 10 or more permanents, and if you do, you get the city's blessing. (Yes, you get the extra effects of that spell too!)
• Once you get the city's blessing, you retain it for the rest of the game, even if you control less than ten permanents later on.
• Multiple players can have the city's blessing at once.
• The city's blessing gives your Ascend cards a boost in power, so you usually want it.
• Ascend counts all your permanents, including tokens and lands.

Now that we've covered the basics of the rules, let's get into how these cards will function during a normal game of Magic.

How Good Is Ascend?

Many all-time great mechanics reward a player for doing what they already want to do. Ascend pays you off for just playing more permanents, something every player wants to do, and I think that's enough to consider it a very strong mechanic. Unfortunately, it hasn't gotten too many chances to shine, with most of its cards being featured in Rivals of Ixalan and a select few others trickling out on occasion since then.

Seeing print in only one Standard set had largely kept Ascend limited to Commander decks. This changed with the release of Modern Horizons 3, which saw the printing of Ocelot Pride, as seen below. This card has taken the Modern format by storm (Not that Storm, you know what I mean) recently, and it enables itself quite nicely. However, this card also highlights one of the bigger issues with the mechanic.

Ascend Isn't Really An Archetype

When it comes to building a deck, there isn't a whole lot of connective tissue between Ascend cards beyond the fact that all decks usually want a lot of permanents in play. Combine that with the fact that there are only about 28 Ascendcards, and the fact that most of them were lower-rarity Draftfodder, and you have a recipe for a mechanic that isn't nearly as big of a hit as, say, Landfall. Red and green only get two Ascend cards each, after all.

Ascend also has the downside of requiring a flavor justification whenever it sees print. After all, players will ask from which city they're getting the blessing and why. This worked for the original Ixalan block, but not every plane has a clearly identifiable marquis city. That said, we seem to be returning to Ravnica very often, so maybe Ascend will get some additional spotlight. (We did get Detective of the Month out of the Murders at Karlov Manor Commander set, so perhaps that's a good omen.)

What Are The Best Ascend Cards?

As I discussed earlier, there aren't too many Ascend cards to choose from, so I'll go ahead and cover the highlight reel right here and now. Tendershoot Dryad and Illustrious Wanderglyph can spiral out of control just as easily as Ocelot Pride, and present a must-kill threat at almost any Commander table. Even without the Ascend abilities, I'd play these.

Similarly, Tilonalli's Summoner and Wayward Swordtooth can also help enable themselves, although not always at the blistering pace of the other cards I've mentioned. Tilonalli's Summoner combines quite well with Impact Tremors and similar effects, while Wayward Swordtooth does excellent work in any ramp or Landfall-based strategy.

Anduril, Narsil Reforged, Vona's Hunger, and Twilight Prophet are all great inclusions in certain Commander decks. Timestream Navigator, Orazca Relic, and Arch of Orazca are a bit less impactful, but still relatively popular pet cards for a lot of players. Unfortunately, there isn't much else worth highlighting, unless you're specifically playing Edgar Markov, in which case this next card is perfect!

That's All, Folks

Overall, I'm hoping we see more Ascend in the future. Its inclusion in recent Commander products like MKM Commander and Modern Horizons 3 is at least a sign that it's on the radar of the design team, and I couldn't be happier. For now, I've covered almost everything you need to know. I've been Luka Sharaska, and I hope you've enjoyed this explanation of the Ascend mechanic.