Skip to content
  1. Commander Nexus
  2. Commanders
  3. Rory Williams

Command zone

Rory Williams

Rory Williams

Legendary Creature — Human Soldier

Rory Williams wants a deck that casts extra spells for free off the top of its deck. It comes with a built-in partner, Amy Pond, and the two can lead one deck together.

  • Mana costwhiteblue
  • White, Blue ()
  • Power / toughness3 / 3
  • RarityRare

Partner with Amy Pond

First strike, lifelink

The Last Centurion — When you cast this spell from anywhere other than exile, exile it with three time counters on it. It gains suspend. Then investigate. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "2 generic, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")

Build a deck with Rory Williams Find it in the app

Archetypes
Themes

Cards That Fit Rory Williams

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

explain how Rory Williams 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 13 Oct 2023

"Partner with [name]" represents two abilities. The first is a triggered ability: "When this permanent enters the battlefield, target player may search their library for a card named [name], reveal it, put it into their hand, then shuffle."

Wizards of the Coast 13 Oct 2023

For example, if you cast Rory Williams from your hand, the triggered ability will exile it and it will gain suspend. When you cast it from exile, it resolves normally.

Wizards of the Coast 13 Oct 2023

If you somehow counter the ability that triggers when you cast Rory Williams, it will resolve normally and will not be exiled.

Wizards of the Coast 13 Oct 2023

Note that the target player searches their library (which may be affected by effects such as that of Stranglehold) and that the card they find is revealed, even though these words aren't included in the ability's reminder text.

Wizards of the Coast 13 Oct 2023

Rory will resolve normally if cast from exile for any reason, not only if it was cast with its suspend ability.

Wizards of the Coast 13 Oct 2023

The second ability represented by the "partner with [name]" keyword modifies the rules for deck construction in the Commander variant and has no function outside of that variant. If a legendary creature card with "partner with [name]" is designated as your commander, the named legendary creature card can also be designated as your commander.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Feb 2024

Cards exiled with suspend are exiled face up.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Feb 2024

Due to a recent rules change to suspend, you are no longer required to cast the suspended card as the second triggered ability of suspend resolves. Instead, as the second triggered ability resolves, you may cast the card. Timing permissions based on the card's type are ignored. If you don't cast the card, it remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Feb 2024

Exiling a card with suspend isn't casting that card. This action doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Feb 2024

If an effect refers to a "suspended card," that means a card that (1) has suspend, (2) is in exile, and (3) has one or more time counters on it.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Feb 2024

If the card 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 2 Feb 2024

If the first triggered ability of suspend (the one that removes time counters) is countered, no time counter is removed. The ability will trigger again at the beginning of the card's owner's next upkeep.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Feb 2024

If the second triggered ability is countered, the card can't be cast. It remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Feb 2024

If the spell requires any targets, those targets are chosen when the spell is finally cast, not when it's exiled.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Feb 2024

If you cast a card "without paying its mana cost," such as with suspend, you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those if you want to cast the card.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Feb 2024

Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that allows you to exile the card from your hand with the specified number of time counters (the number before the dash) on it by paying its suspend cost (listed after the dash). The second is a triggered ability that removes a time counter from the suspended card at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. The third is a triggered ability that gives you the option to cast the card when the last time counter is removed.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Feb 2024

The mana value of a spell cast without paying its mana cost is determined by its mana cost, even though that cost wasn't paid.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Feb 2024

When the last time counter is removed, the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) triggers. It doesn't matter why the last time counter was removed or what effect removed it.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Feb 2024

You can exile a card in your hand using suspend any time you could cast that card. Consider its card type, any effects that modify when you could cast it (such as flash) and any other effects that stop you from casting it (such as from Meddling Mage's ability) to determine if and when you can do this. Whether you could actually complete all steps in casting the card is irrelevant. For example, you can exile a card with suspend that has no mana cost or that requires a target even if no legal targets are available at that time.

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

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Rory Williams, 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 glossaryWUPlayers write colors as letters: W for white, U for blue. 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 pageToken MakerCreates one or more tokens. Different cards make very different ones: creatures Grave Titan, Treasures Smothering Tithe, Clues Tireless Tracker or Food Gilded Goose. This is one of our largest tags, so pair it with an archetype or theme when you are hunting a specific kind.Open the Token Maker pageClues MatterClue tokens are artifacts you can pay 2 mana and sacrifice to draw a card. Making one is called investigate.Open the Clues Matter pageAlternative CostLets you cast a spell by paying some other cost instead of its mana cost, like life, a card from your hand, or nothing at all.Open the Alternative Cost pageLife GainGains you life, once or over and over. Soul Warden, The Great Henge. In Commander life is something to spend, not just a cushion, and many of these cards also set off others that reward gaining life.Open the Life Gain page