Aftermath – MTG Mechanics Explained

Aftermath appears on instants and sorceries and is a variant of split cards. It’s technically three abilities, which are 1) You may cast the half of this card that has Aftermath from the graveyard, 2) You may ONLY cast the half of this card that has Aftermath from the graveyard, and 3) if this spell was cast from the graveyard, exile it if it would leave the stack for any reason.

So it’s kind of like a flashback that casts a different spell. Here’s a little more clarity on how it works:

• Split cards function as two distinct cards, and the spell you cast only has the characteristics of the half you are casting.
• While they function as two different cards, for effects that count a number of cards, split cards are a single card. So discarding a split card counts as discarding a single card, and a split card in your graveyard counts as a single card with the types of both halves(for the purposes of something like Delve).
• Split cards have two names. If an effect asks you to name a card (like Meddling Mage) you may only name one half of a split card, not both.
• While not on the stack, split cards have the cumulative characteristics of both halves – all colors, types, and a combined total mana value.
• If an effect allows you to cast spells for free, you still can’t cast the Aftermath half of a split card unless it is in your graveyard.
• If an effect allows you to cast cards from your graveyard, you may cast either half of an Aftermath card. If you cast the Aftermath half, the exile part of its abilities will apply.

Graveyard mechanics that let you get more use out of a card tend to be popular, and this was no exception, even if people thought the layout was a bit confusing. That said, graveyard mechanics like this are hard to design without making games feel very grindy, and require keeping track of your opponent’s graveyard to make sure you don’t miss a trick. So Aftermath has some baggage to be sorted out before it sees the light of day again, although a revival is still possible.

Aftermath pun! Please buy MTG stuff at Cardkingdom.com.