Hero of Bladehold

Hero of Bladehold has two triggered abilities. They both trigger at the same time. The trigger event occurs when Hero of Bladehold is declared as an attacker as a turn-based action during the declare attackers step.

Phew! This was hard to formulate. I hope you’ve managed to read it. Why is it so complex? It’s because “being declared as an attacker” and “attacking” aren’t the same from the rules’ perspective. Abilities that have “When the creature attacks” trigger only if the creature was declared as an attacker.

Imagine you choose Yore-Tiller Nephilim on the declare attackers step. This means that after Nephilim’s trigger is put on the stack, you must choose a target for the ability. Assume it is Hero of Bladehold, which is currently on your graveyard. This creature will be put on the battlefield tapped and attacking. And all of sudden you get neither Battle cry nor tokens, nothing. Hero of Bladehold’s abilities just don’t trigger.

However, if you declare Hero of Bladehold as an attacker, both triggers go to stack (like Nephilim’s one in the previous example). As there are two abilities, both are controlled by one player (by you), and you are the active player (otherwise you couldn’t have attacked), you put the triggers on the stack first in the order you want.

It’s usually beneficial for the created tokens to have the Battle cry bonus, so they should be on the battlefield when it resolves. That’s why you should put Battle cry trigger on the stack first and the tokens trigger second.

We’ll talk about token creation later. By now you should remember Hero of Bladehold’s tokens enter the battlefield tapped and attacking. When each one comes into play you choose if it is attacking your opponent or a Planeswalker he/she controls (different tokens can attack different opponents or Planeswalkers). This choice doesn’t depend on who is attacked by Hero of Bladehold. These special tokens also aren’t affected by restrictions placed on attackers.

Token

Do you know what the duck test is? “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck”. Surprisingly, a token doesn’t pass the duck test. Although it may look like a card and act like one, it still isn’t a card. Token is not a card. Even like this:

As a token represents a card it should be able to indicate its status. That’s why players use all kinds of random items as tokens: empty card sleeves, cell phones and even wallets. You aren’t allowed to mix tokens with sideboard cards. Using sideboard cards as tokens is obviously bad. Even worse is using cards from graveyard. But as human recklessness has literally no limits, you can easily come over people who are attempting such things. Don’t let your opponent do it.

If you are using a token-based deck, it’s good to have tokens prepared in advance. I’m assuring you, it’s a pleasure.

There are two types of effects that put tokens on the battlefield: first copy some card and second make tokens “from scratch”.

When a token is a copy of an object, it gets all copiable values of this object (they can be changed by the effect that’s copying the object). For more details see Attack of the Clones.

An effect creating a token “from scratch” can define any amount of token’s characteristics. These become the token’s copiable values. If an effect doesn’t define some of characteristics, the token doesn’t have them. For example, Hero of Bladehold’s ability doesn’t define mana cost, supertype, text and abilities.

Note that a token isn’t necessary a creature, although creature tokens are the most common ones. Any token, however, is good at what it does best — it represents a duck, I mean, a card.

If an effect creating a creature token doesn’t specify its name, its name matches its type(s) plus the word “Token.” That’s why our Soldier has name Soldier Token and type Soldier. Bitterblossom effect creates tokens named Faerie Rogue Token and two creature types: Faerie and Rogue.

While the token is on the battlefield, name-changing effects don’t affect its subtype and vice versa.

According to the rules, both controller and owner of the token is the player under whose control the token has entered the battlefield.

A token on the battlefield is an independent permanent. If an effect creating the token doesn’t limit its lifetime, the token starts living on its own. If Hero of Bladehold leaves the battlefield it doesn’t affect tokens created by its ability.

If a token leaves the battlefield, it can’t come back even if there’s an effect telling it to do so. The token moves to another zone and it ceases to exist next time SBA are performed. All abilities that track objects moving between zones trigger.

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1. ⇑ A sideboard is a group of additional cards the player may use to modify his or her deck between games of a match. A player may use these cards in his or her main deck during all games after the first one in a match. Other items (token cards, double-faced card represented in the deck by a checklist card, etc) should be kept separate from the sideboard during game play. Restrictions on the composition and use of a sideboard differ between format types — for example, a sideboard in constructed tournaments can contain no more than 15 cards.
2. ⇑ If you look carefully at this masterpiece of printing art, you may notice the word “token” in its type. Don’t believe what you are seeing! It can’t be there just because it can’t. “Token” is not a card type, and definitely not a supertype.

Translated by Bella Dasaeva