“I am from beyond! Slay your enemies and all that you desire shall be yours! Nothing you dream of is impossible for me to accomplish!” Sounds like the Beyonder is at it again—only this time, instead of pitting heroes and villains against each other in Secret Wars, he’s pulled us onto Battleworld to sling spells and merge the Marvel Universe with the Magic multiverse. From the Edge of Eternity to the streets of Earth-616, the Beyonder’s influence is clear: web-slingers, villains, and Planeswalkers are about to collide.
Here’s our Sinister 7. Each of these cards has one or more triggers that will upgrade to a Warning if missed.
1. Mysterio, Master of Illusion
Getting a 3/3 Legendary Creature onto the battlefield is already exciting, but when it also creates a 3/3 Illusion Villain token, that’s a slick two-for-one combo. These villainous illusions are bound to Mysterio’s tricks; just as his flavor text calls for a Dramatic Entrance, there must also be a Dramatic Exit. When Mysterio leaves, the 3/3 Illusion Villain tokens are exiled.
“When this creature deals combat damage to a player, sacrifice it.”
Just like how no one in the comics stays dead for long, with a little Mayhem, you’re looking to rise from the grave and return to battle once more. On the battlefield, this card can unleash true carnage and chaos if left unchecked. Not only can Carnage crawl back from the grave, he can also drag along a friend with mana value 3 or less. The catch? That friend isn’t built to last; after combat, they have to be sacrificed.
3. Molten Man, Inferno Incarnate
“When Molten Man leaves the battlefield, sacrifice a land.”
Red cards that ramp? Love it! Search your library for a land? Awesome. Put a +1/+1 counter on Molten Man for each Mountain you control? Don’t mind if I do… But then, when Molten Man leaves the battlefield, you have to sacrifice a land? Ouch. And just when you were doing so well! I guess you can’t play with fire without getting burned – sure, you gained a land, but now you’ve got to give one up.
“Whenever this creature attacks, mill a card.”
When evaluating cards that Mill or have similar effects, we do not look at the rest of the deck or circumstances of the game state; rather, we only look at only the card in isolation. Having more cards in your library is generally better than having fewer, so this trigger is usually detrimental.
“When this creature enters, mill two cards.”
This cool cat isn’t just any ordinary feline: it’s fueled by a symbiote. Like any symbiote host, it constantly drains its host of resources and is always hungry. In this case, it devours two cards from your library, sapping your resources. If you miss the “mill two cards” trigger, you’ll receive a Warning for failing to resolve this detrimental ability.
“When this land enters from a graveyard, you lose 2 life.”
Mayhem is the engine that makes this card powerful. By discarding a land early in the turn, you set up Oscorp Industries to bring it back from the graveyard turning what would normally be a loss into extra value. Getting a land back from the graveyard is a clear benefit, but if you miss the ‘lose 2 life’ trigger, that’s considered usually detrimental and will result in a Warning for a missed trigger.
“When The Spot dies, put him on the bottom of his owner’s library. If you do, return the exiled cards to their owners’ hands.”
Most of the time, this card will be targeting your opponent and not yourself; it’s far more beneficial to exile your opponent’s 2 cards in the graveyard instead of your own. In one respect, exiling your own cards and then not returning them to your hand doesn’t seem that bad; however, exiling your opponents cards and not returning them is something different. When The Spot, Living Portal die and the exiled cards are not turned to the opponent’s hand, you will receive a Warning.
Is it really a coincidence that every detrimental trigger belongs to a villain? Maybe… Or maybe it feels a bit like classic comic-book justice.
Two notable cards that have a trigger that does NOT upgrade when missed:
1. Rent is Due
“At the beginning of your end step, you may tap two untapped creatures and/or Treasures you control. If you do, draw a card. Otherwise, sacrifice this enchantment.”
Listen, Parker: Rent’s due. If you can’t pay up, sacrifices have to be made. If you’re just a little late but still good for it… We’ll cut you some slack this time. But don’t make a habit of it. Missing this trigger isn’t detrimental, so you won’t receive a warning for missing it. But if brought to a judge’s attention, we will check with the landlord to see if you need to sacrifice this enchantment otherwise you might have the option to tap two permanents and not have to sacrifice your enchantment.
“When you do, exile that card”
Your spider-senses might be tingling, making you think this is a missed reflexive trigger, but it’s actually something a little different! The triggered ability is linked to the replacement effect of Superior Spider-Man entering as a copy of a creature card in a graveyard. The “when you do” means the exile triggered ability is considered communicated the moment you take that action. You can’t separate the two. If a player copies a creature card with Superior Spider-Man but forgets to place the card in exile, it’s a Game Rule Violation.
Amazing! With this new understanding of triggered abilities, you’ve gained real power at the table—the power to recognize, handle, and even prevent missed triggers. And as Uncle Ben once reminded Peter Parker: “With great power comes great responsibility.“
Alright, that’s it for now, folks. Thanks for web-slinging through this article with me. And until next time: Stay spectacular, stay amazing, and stay sharp, true believer!