While most cards work pretty straightforward in 2HG there are some quirks, often involving the combat phase or life total changes. Those cards are explained in these notes.
If you’re playing a 2HG prerelease you should also check out the 2HG Hidden Gems that highlights which cards to look out for!
For further reading, if you want to know more about 2HG see the 2HG FAQ. If you want to know more about how these cards function in general see the regular release notes.
GENERAL NOTES
“YOU”
The rule of thumb for 2HG is “You” still refers to you alone, not both you and your teammate. Look for the word “you” in the card text, such as “creatures you control get +1/+1”, “whenever you explore”, etc.
Ascend
Ascend requires you control 10 or more permanents for you to obtain the city’s blessing, so any permanents your teammate has doesn’t count and if you gain the city’s blessing they still have to gain it themselves.
Raid
Raid requires you to have attacked with a creature, so your teammate attacking with a creature does not count.
“EACH”
Cards that say “each opponent” or “each player” do affect more players than usual.
Azor, the Lawbringer | Sphinx’s Decree
Both opponents will not be able to cast instant or sorcery spells during their next turn.
Angrath, the Flame-Chained | Gruesome Fate| Forerunner of the Coalition | Metzali, Tower of Triumph
Each opponent loses the life, doubling 1 damage to 2 damage, and 2 damage to 4 damage.
Vona’s Hunger | Silverclad Ferocidons
Each opponent has to sacrifice a permanent or creature (or half of their creatures!)
“Each opponent X and you Y”
Arterial Flow | Twilight Prophet
The opposing team loses double the amount but you don’t gain double. So with Arterial Flow your opponents lose 4 life but you still only gain 2 life in total. With Twilight Prophet, if you reveal the card’s converted mana cost as 3 then your opponents would lose 6 life but you would only gain the 3 life.
Combat Notes
Warkite Marauder
With the attack trigger you can target any one creature from the defending players, this is separate from any other choices about “defending player”. For example, you can attack one opponent but target the other opponent’s creature with this ability.
Storm the Vault
If you attack with multiple creatures, you can have them deal damage to different ‘heads’ and have Storm the Vault trigger twice.
Curious Obsession | See Red
The attack condition is still part of the aura, not the creature, so if you put this on your teammate’s creature, you still need to attack with a creature to not lose this.
For Curious Obsession the draw a card trigger is granted to the creature, so if you put this on your teammate’s creature, they get to draw a card if the creature deals combat damage.
Life Notes
If you lose life during a turn then it’s only YOU who loses the life, not your teammate! Same goes for gaining life.
Form of the Dinosaur
In 2HG your life total is the same as your team’s life total. This effectively changes the team’s life total to 15 (but only you actually lose or gain life).
Paladin of Atonement
Even though creatures attack the defending players as a team, in the Combat Damage Step the controller of an attacking creature chooses one opponent to actually deal the combat damage to. So your opponents can simply choose to always deal the damage to your teammate.
Famished Paladin
Famished Paladin only untaps if YOU gain life, if your teammate gains life then famished paladin doesn’t untap.
Oathsworn vampire
You may cast Oathsworn Vampire from your graveyard only if you have gained life this turn. If your teammate gained life this doesn’t count as you gaining life.
Other Notes
Vraska, Scheming Gorgon
If one player loses the game then all players on that team have lost.
Baffling End
You may choose different opponents for each triggered ability.
Timestream Navigator
If one player on the team gets an extra turn then all players on that team get extra turns!
Guest written by Lexx (Alexandra Stokes)