Ulder Ravengard, Marshal Triggers: A Probability Guide

In TCG ·

Ulder Ravengard, Marshal—dynamic art from Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Probability on the Battlefield: Ulder Ravengard, Marshal’s Triggers Explained

If you’ve ever chased tempo in red-white shells or built around a clutch creature that lets you “design” the next draw, Ulder Ravengard, Marshal is the kind of card that rewards careful probability thinking as much as it rewards precise play. This legendary Human Noble Soldier from Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate blends a nimble three-mana cost (1WR) with two distinct, non-overlapping triggers that hinge on what you already control and what your opponent dares to play. The card’s oracle text reads: when Ulder Ravengard enters the battlefield, another target nontoken creature you control gains double team until end of turn; and whenever Ulder Ravengard attacks, conjure a duplicate of another target nontoken attacking creature into your hand. In plain terms, it’s a pair of event-driven tools that demand careful counting, not just flashy dice rolls. 🧙‍♂️🔥 Two features stand out from a probability standpoint. First, the enter-the-battlefield (ETB) trigger is dependent on targets you already control. The trigger will only resolve if there is at least one other non-token creature you can legally target. If you slam Ulder Ravengard onto an empty board, there’s no valid target—so the probability collapses to zero in that moment. Once you have N other non-token creatures, you basically have a guaranteed target for the ETB; the real question becomes which creature you pick and how that choice affects the tempo swing. The “double team” buff, while temporary, can tilt a turn with surprising impact if it’s allocated to a creature that plans to swing in for heavy pressure or to weather a block with an extra voice on your side. The rule of thumb: more live targets increases your likelihood of getting a meaningful ETB buff, and the presence of a high-quality target makes the trigger almost a certainty in practical terms. ⚔️ Second, the attack trigger is a little more strategic and probabilistic in texture. Whenever you attack, you conjure a duplicate of another target nontoken attacking creature into your hand. This is not, as many players fear, a free card in hand that guarantees a monolith of value; it’s a re-creation of a target you’re already committed to attacking with. The “another target” clause means you need at least one other attacking nontoken creature on the battlefield to have a meaningful target. If you’re smashing with three or four bodies, the pool of potential duplicates you could fetch into your hand grows, and so does your option-set for the next turns. The interesting twist is that the conjured card goes straight to your hand, not your battlefield, which reframes the math: you’re trading one attacker for a new tool to reestablish pressure in following moves. The probability here hinges on how many nontoken attackers you’ve committed to the battlefield across the combat phase and how many relevant creatures you’re running in your 60-card deck. 🧩 To translate these ideas into practical deck-building and turn-by-turn play, consider a few concrete scenarios. If you’re running a modest board of two or three non-token creatures, including Ulder Ravengard himself, you’ll often have a valid target for the ETB ability, and the buff can empower one of your other attackers into a more threatening metric for the next combat. The attack trigger becomes more potent when you’ve stacked multiple attackers: your chances of having another target nontoken attacker to copy into your hand rise proportionally. If your deck leverages redundancy—multiple copies of key threats, or a few resilient beaters that you want to fetch into hand and replay—you’ll maximize the value of Ravengard’s conjure effect in the mid to late game. And yes, this is exactly the kind of design space that makes Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate players grin: the synergy between combat planning and card advantage can turn a marginal board into a dominated one with careful math and bold plays. 🧙‍♂️💎 A few practical tips for capitalizing on Ravengard’s probabilities: - Target discipline on ETB: choose a non-token creature with a clear immediate payoff when it gains “double team” for the turn. You’re not just buffing a body; you’re setting up a domino effect for the current swing or the next defensive stance. If you have a creature with a strong enter-the-battlefield or attack synergy, favor it. This keeps the floor solid even when luck tilts. - Turn sequencing matters: the moment Ravengard enters, you’re eyeing the board state. If you can spare a creature you’re not heavily invested in, using it as the ETB target can preserve higher-value targets for future turns when you attack. The hand-discount of “conjure into hand” on attack rewards you for smarter sequencing—think of it as drafting your next two or three plays in the middle of combat. - Deck density and reliability: if you’re leaning into the probability game, pack in non-token attackers with predictable payoffs and consider cards that can recast or re-enable attacking bodies after ravens of combat are swung. A lean deck with a few standout threats and a handful of redundancy tends to stabilize both triggers. - Mind the tempo: while the conjured cards go to hand, you still pay mana to cast them. Ravengard’s value increases as you slide into a rhythm where you can multi-task: use the ETB trigger to press the tempo and leverage the attack trigger to stockpile threats for immediate recast or for future scrapes. Art, lore, and collector’s notes. Ulder Ravengard, Marshal bears the hallmarks of a bold Baldur’s Gate figure: a commanding presence on the battlefield who can pivot from frontline brute force to strategic card advantage with a flourish of red-white energy. The artwork by Eric Deschamps captures a commander who commands both the table and the moment, and the Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate set frame—legendary, gold-bordered color identity—cements Ravengard as a memorable pillar in the crossover between D&D storytelling and MTG’s tactical deckbuilding. For collectors and players who chase both flavor and function, this is a card that invites a deeper dive into probability as much as a deeper dive into a well-timed combat phase. 🎨⚔️ As you consider building around Ulder Ravengard, Marshal, you’ll also notice the practical cross-promotions that appear in the contemporary MTG ecosystem. If you’re picking up a new desk companion for those long grind sessions and want to keep your play area sharp and focused, a Round Rectangular Neon Neoprene Mouse Pad could be a perfect fit for long, comfortable sessions between turns. Round, neon, and practical—just like Ravengard’s ability to bend the tempo to your will. 🧙‍♂️🔥 Join us on the journey of probability and play design. The more you study the odds behind when Ravengard enters and when he attacks, the more you’ll appreciate the joy of reading the battlefield and predicting the next card you’ll conjure into your hand. Round Rectangular Neon Neoprene Mouse Pad

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