It’s not just lands and elementals that are gearing up against the Eldrazi invaders, though. The peoples of Zendikar are fighting back as well. One of these ways is through bonding with the land, as Sylvan Advocate does. All you need to do is have enough land on the field, and the Advocate gets a hefty +2/+2 bonus – one that it grants to all your land creatures as well! This bonus is cumulative for your land creatures, so two Advocates will give your land creatures +4/+4, for example.

The Advocates’ dedication to the land doesn’t extend to supporting each other, though. The line of rules text that says “Sylvan Advocate gains +2/+2” actually means “This creature, which happens to be named Sylvan Advocate, gets +2/+2,” and not any other creature that shares the same name. To work otherwise, it would have to say “…creatures you control named Sylvan Advocate…”. Therefore, if you have two Advocates, both of them will be 4/5s, even though a 2/3 land creature you control (like Shambling Vent) will be pumped up to a 6/7.

Today’s Rules Tip written by Jen Wong