Prime Speaker Zegana checks its power when the trigger resolves, so you can use Giant Growth effects (or your opponent can use effects like Downsize) to alter how many card are drawn!

“But Eddie!” you ask, “why is it that evolve doesn’t work that way? Trevor last week on this blog says so!”.

Very true, attentive readers! That’s because evolve has an ‘intervening if’ clause in its trigger, while Prime Speaker Zegana does not, so it will trigger and resolve no matter what power she has. Note: If Zegana dies, the ability will use last known information from right before she left the battlefield. That means if Zegana enters the battlefield with 3 +1/+1 counters on it, and someone then Augur Sprees it, Zegana was an 8/0 before dying… 8 CARDS, BABY!

And before you ask, yes, you can have negative power; yes, it will mean “draw negative cards”, which you CAN NOT do; so no, you don’t have to discard cards instead (it just becomes “draw zero cards”).

Player tip: With Wolfir Silverheart in play, in order to maximize the number of cards drawn, you should allow the soulbond trigger to resolve first, choosing to pair Zegana and Wolfir, and then let the Zegana trigger resolve. If you do it the other way around, you’re losing the chance to draw 4 extra cards!

Today’s Rules Tip written by Eddie Cheung