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Commander Nexus
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  3. Baral and Kari Zev

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Baral and Kari Zev

Baral and Kari Zev

Legendary Creature — Human

Baral and Kari Zev wants a deck that casts extra spells for free off the top of its deck. It also works in a deck built around Humans or Legends Matter.

  • Mana cost1 genericbluered
  • Blue, Red ()
  • Power / toughness2 / 4
  • RarityRare

First strike, menace

Whenever you cast your first instant or sorcery spell each turn, you may cast a spell with lesser mana value that shares a card type with it from your hand without paying its mana cost. If you don't, create First Mate Ragavan, a legendary 2/1 red Monkey Pirate creature token. It gains haste until end of turn.

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Archetypes
Themes

Cards That Fit Baral and Kari Zev

Picked for what they do in Baral and Kari Zev's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Baral and Kari Zev'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.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

plan6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Baral and Kari Zev

explain how Baral and Kari Zev 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 Coast 14 Apr 2023

Baral and Kari Zev will count any instant or sorcery spell you cast during a turn, even if it wasn’t on the battlefield at the time. This means if you cast an instant or sorcery spell, then Baral and Kari Zev comes under your control, its triggered ability won’t trigger that turn.

Wizards of the Coast 14 Apr 2023

If the spell has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.

Wizards of the Coast 14 Apr 2023

If you cast a spell without paying its mana cost, you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay any additional costs. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those.

Wizards of the Coast 14 Apr 2023

The spell you cast from your hand without paying its mana cost is cast during the resolution of the triggered ability. Timing restrictions of that spell based on card type are ignored. It will resolve before the spell that caused the ability to trigger.

4 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Baral and Kari Zev, and what they share.

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 glossaryURPlayers write colors as letters: U for blue, R for red. Blue is U because B was already taken by black.Cascade/Free CastCascade decks cast extra spells for free, straight from the top of their deck, every time they cast the right card. Cascade turns over cards from the top of your library until it hits a cheaper spell, which you may cast without paying for it.Open the Cascade/Free Cast pageFree CastCan be cast without paying its mana cost when a condition is met, often "if you control your commander". Because it costs nothing, you can still answer something after your mana is already spent. Fierce Guardianship, Deflecting SwatOpen the Free Cast pageLegends MatterCards that care about legendary cards: rewards for casting them, discounts, or bonuses for each one you control.Open the Legends Matter pageCombat TrickAn instant you cast during a fight to change how it ends: making a creature bigger or smaller, or keeping your creatures from dying. Boros Charm, Flawless ManeuverOpen the Combat Trick pageEvasionAn ability that makes a creature hard to block, so its attacks reach the player. Flying, menace, landwalk and plain 'can't be blocked' are the common kinds.Open the Evasion page