In recent years, Magic has seen a marked increase in “modal” cards: cards that give players a choice of two or more effects. These types of spells have been around for a long time, but they’ve become more prominent with the introduction of “Best of One” gameplay on MTG Arena, as well as the exponential growth of the Commander format. When you can only play one game — and you want those games to feel unique — it helps to have more options.
But what if you don’t want to choose between modes of a modal spell. Have you ever thought, “why can’t I have both?” Then do we have the cards for you!
What is Entwine?
Entwine is a mechanic that appears on modal instants and sorceries. If a spell has entwine, you may pay the entwine cost in addition to its normal cost. If you do, you then do everything that a card says.
You choose whether or not to pay the entwine cost as you cast the spell. If you choose to entwine, you choose all required targets as you cast the spell, just like casting any other instant or sorcery that has a target. When you resolve an entwined spell, you take the actions in the order they are written. That last point is important, as most entwine cards are designed to have their effects resolve in a particular order.
Entwining a spell can be mana-intensive…but you tend to get a lot of bang for your buck. If you can pay, entwine lets you have it all.
Check out all the spells with entwine, and consider adding some to your decks!