Ashling the Pilgrim wants a deck that keeps making its creatures bigger turn after turn. It also suits a deck that answers everything its opponents play, then wins late.
Mana cost
Red ()
Power / toughness1 / 1
RarityRare
: Put a +1/+1 counter on Ashling. If this is the third time this ability has resolved this turn, remove all +1/+1 counters from Ashling, and it deals that much damage to each creature and each player.
Picked for what they do in Ashling the Pilgrim's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Ashling the Pilgrim's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Open the full glossary
explain how Ashling the Pilgrim works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary
Wizards of the Coast28 Jul 2023
"That much damage" refers to the number of +1/+1 counters removed from Ashling the Pilgrim. Since the counters are removed, it's likely that the damage will kill Ashling.
Wizards of the Coast28 Jul 2023
Ashling the Pilgrim's ability counts resolutions, not activations. Any such abilities that are still on the stack won't count toward the total.
Wizards of the Coast28 Jul 2023
When the ability resolves, it counts the number of times that same ability from that this creature has already resolved that turn. It doesn't matter who controlled the creature or the previous abilities when they resolved. A copy of this ability (created by Rings of Brighthearth, for example) will count toward the total. Abilities from other creatures with the same name don't count towards the total. Neither does an ability that's been countered.
Wizards of the Coast28 Jul 2023
You get the bonus only the third time the ability resolves. You won't get the bonus the fourth, fifth, sixth, or any subsequent times.
Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryRPlayers write colors as letters: R for red.+1/+1 Counters+1/+1 counter decks put small markers on their creatures that make each one permanently bigger, and keep adding more every turn. Each +1/+1 counter adds one to a creature's power (the damage it deals) and toughness (the damage it can take).Open the +1/+1 Counters pageDamage RemovalRemoves creatures by dealing damage to them rather than by destroying them outright. This includes fight cards, where your creature deals the damage. Damage only kills a creature if it at least equals its toughness, so it can miss the biggest ones, and it does not kill a creature that cannot be destroyed. Lightning Bolt, Rabid Bite, PyroclasmOpen the Damage Removal pageCounter ManipulationAdds, moves or multiplies counters already on permanents. It works on any kind (+1/+1, loyalty, charge), so the same card can serve very different decks. Karn's Bastion, Doubling SeasonOpen the Counter Manipulation pageCounter EngineAdds +1/+1 counters over and over rather than once. A counter here is a small permanent marker that raises a creature's power and toughness for good. It is not a counterspell, which is a different thing entirely. Something that adds them every turn makes your whole board bigger and keeps it that way. Hardened Scales, Corpsejack MenaceOpen the Counter Engine pageControlControl decks answer what everyone else plays, stopping spells and removing dangerous cards, then win slowly once they are in charge. Expect lots of removal, spells that cancel other spells, and extra card draw.Open the Control pageMass BurnDeals damage to everything, or to every opponent at once, rather than to a single target. In a four player game the same card hits three people, so small repeated amounts add up quickly. Blasphemous Act, Impact TremorsOpen the Mass Burn pageBoard WipeA spell that destroys, exiles, or otherwise removes all creatures at once. Also called a sweeper or a wrath, after Wrath of God. One that deals damage or gives -X/-X counts only at 7 or more, enough to kill almost every creature people play, like Blasphemous Act. A smaller one is a Mini Sweeper.Open the Board Wipe pageBurnBurn decks win by dealing damage straight to opponents with spells and abilities, rather than by attacking with creatures. Damage that hits every opponent at once counts three times over at a four-player table.Open the Burn page+1/+1 CountersPuts +1/+1 counters on creatures, permanently raising their power and toughness. Unlike a temporary boost that wears off at end of turn, these markers stay put and stack up over a long game. Hardened Scales, The Great HengeOpen the +1/+1 Counters pageMana SinkGives you somewhere useful to spend spare mana, usually through an ability you can activate again and again. Rogue's Passage, Mind StoneOpen the Mana Sink page
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