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Commander Nexus
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  3. Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient

Command zone

Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient

Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient

Legendary Creature — Ogre Spirit

Kurkesh wants a deck that casts lots of instant and sorcery spells. It also suits a deck that answers everything its opponents play, then wins late.

  • Mana cost2 genericredred
  • Red ()
  • Power / toughness4 / 3
  • RarityRare

Whenever you activate an ability of an artifact, if it isn't a mana ability, you may pay red. If you do, copy that ability. You may choose new targets for the copy.

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Archetypes

Cards That Fit Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient

Picked for what they do in Kurkesh's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Kurkesh'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 Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient

explain how Kurkesh 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 18 Jul 2014

A mana ability is an ability that (1) could add mana when it resolves, (2) isn't a loyalty ability, and (3) doesn't require a target.

Wizards of the Coast 18 Jul 2014

Activated abilities are written in the form "Cost: Effect." Some keywords are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder texts.

Wizards of the Coast 18 Jul 2014

If paying the activation cost of the ability includes sacrificing Kurkesh, the ability won't be copied. At the time the ability is considered activated (after all costs are paid), Kurkesh is no longer on the battlefield.

Wizards of the Coast 18 Jul 2014

If the ability has {X} in its cost, the value of X is copied.

Wizards of the Coast 18 Jul 2014

If the ability is modal (that is, it says "Choose one —" or the like), the copy will have the same mode. You can't choose a different one.

Wizards of the Coast 18 Jul 2014

The copy will have the same targets as the ability it's copying unless you choose new ones. You may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. If, for one of the targets, you can't choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal).

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

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Kurkesh, 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 glossaryRPlayers write colors as letters: R for red.SpellslingerSpellslinger decks cast lots of instants and sorceries, one-time spells, and play creatures that reward every spell you cast. Instants and sorceries take effect once and then go to your graveyard, and an instant can even be cast during another player's turn.Open the Spellslinger pageAikido / RedirectionTurns an opponent's own spell, ability or damage back on them. It changes the spell's target, copies it, or sends the damage somewhere else. Aikido is the community's name for it, borrowed from the martial art. Deflecting Swat, Narset's ReversalOpen the Aikido / Redirection pageSpell CopyingCopies a spell or an ability. The copy is not cast, so it costs nothing extra and does not set off cards that care about casting a spell. Reverberate, Storm-Kiln ArtistOpen the Spell Copying 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 pageStack InteractionActs while a spell is waiting to take effect: countering it, changing what it targets, or copying it. When someone casts a spell it waits on the stack, and every player gets priority, a chance to respond, before it happens. Counterspell, NegateOpen the Stack Interaction page