History of Benalia
Last Modified 27.04.2026
The Saga mechanic is one of the most rules-intensive and frequently misunderstood features in Magic: The Gathering. While History of Benalia serves as a clear and accessible example, the real goal of this guide is to explain how Sagas work under the current comprehensive rules — including lore counters, chapter abilities, and state-based actions. Using History of Benalia as a foundation, this article walks through the exact timing of triggered abilities, how counters are added, and what happens when Sagas interact with other effects. The focus is not just on a single card, but on building a complete and up-to-date understanding of the Saga mechanic as a whole. In addition, we cover complex and commonly debated interactions — including how Urza’s Saga behaves under Blood Moon. This makes the guide especially valuable for competitive players, judges, and anyone looking for precise, rules-accurate explanations.
Oracle Text:
Enchantment — Saga
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I, II — Create a 2/2 white Knight creature token with vigilance.
III — Knights you control get +2/+1 until end of turn.
Saga is a new card type. It is an enchantment subtype, which has additional rules about it. For example, just like an Aura. All effect that are relevant to enchantments are also applicable to Sagas:
You can find a Saga in your library on Academy Rector’s trigger resolution.
A cunning opponent can cancel your Saga with Annul.
Sagas does not have any supertypes by default, thus they are not legendary. You can control more, than one Saga with the same name.
Sagas are historical permanents:
700.6. The term historic refers to an object that has the legendary supertype, the artifact card type, or the Saga subtype.
There are no rules, connected to this term, but there are some cards, which interacts with it. For instance, casting Saga will trigger Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain’s ability.
You can cast Sagas as usual enchantments in your main phase and with an empty stack. This time restrictions can be broken with the effects, which allow you to play that card in a different time: Raff Capashen, Ship Mage.
On Saga’s resolution or as a result of some effects (like Show and Tell) Saga enters the battlefield and immediately gains a lore counter thanks to its intrinsic ability:
714.3a. Each Saga without read ahead has the intrinsic ability “This Saga enters with a lore counter on it.” This ability creates a replacement effect (see rule 614.1c).
If you have decided to exile Saga with a Flickerwisp’s trigger, it will return on the battlefield at the end of the turn with one lore counter, regardless how many lore counters it used to have.
If you control a Doubling Season, your Sagas will enter the battlefield with two lore counters. This only refers to counters, which are put when Saga enters the battlefield. See details below.
When it's your first mane phase each Saga under your control with one or more chapter abilities gets lore counter. This is an action, based on turn structure, just like drawing a curd in a previous phase. It is written in the rules and a player cannot decide whether they want to do it or not — it is mandatory. This action does not use stack, thus it is impossible to respond to it. Doubling Season does not react to this event, because a reason of lore counter’s appearance is not an effect.
Pay attention to a reminder about the rules on Saga cards, where «after your draw step» is written. It means that after your draw step is ended and when your main phase has begun. It is formulated in the rules exactly the same:
714.3c. As a player's precombat main phase begins, that player puts a lore counter on each Saga they control with one or more chapter abilities. This turn-based action doesn't use the stack.
Usually, it means, that in a normal game lore counter is put after drawing a card, but you should not forget, that players get a priority during draw step and can do something. For example, a cunning opponent can destroy or exile your Saga.
If first main phase somehow is skipped because of an effect (Fatespinner), your Sagas would not get lore counters and their chapter effect would not work. However, if a draw step has been skipped, it will not affect Saga: lore counters will be put in the beginning of the first main phase.
If a Saga has no chapter abilities, that Saga will not receive any new lore counter at the start of the first main phase.
If Summon: Bahamut loses all of its abilities when a cunning opponent enchants it with Observed Stasis, the creature will remain on the battlefield and will not gain lore counters. If you later remove the enemy aura, Summon: Bahamut will regain its chapter abilities. When it will gain the counters it deserves, and its chapter abilities will continue to trigger until its final one.
What happens if a player forgets to place a lore counter on the Saga?
Although placing a counter on the Saga at the beginning of the precombat main phase is a turn-based action, in competitive REL, such an error will be treated as a missed trigger. You won't be penalized for forgetting to place a counter, but your opponent will have the choice of whether or not to place the counter on the Saga.
IPG: If the turn-based action of putting a lore counter on a Saga is missed, it should be handled as though it was a missed trigger.
Saga’s Chapter abilities
Each Saga has abilities, which are marked by Roman numerals (they are labelled in the rules as {rN}). Those abilities are called Chapter abilities. They are always triggered abilities, which are triggered when a lore counter is added and a total number of lore counters hits another chapter.
In rules it looks like that:
714.2b “{rN}—[Effect]” means “When one or more lore counters are put onto this Saga, if the number of lore counters on it was less than N and became at least N, [effect].”
This wording considers a situation, when Saga got more than one lore counter. In this case, all abilities before a chapter N triggers.
For example, if you control Doubling Season and cast History of Benalia, it will enter the battlefield with two lore counters. Two Benalia’s abilities will trigger — it had less than 1 counter and got at least 1 counter; and had less, than 2 counters and got at least 2 counters.
The exception to this rule is Sagas with the Read ahead ability.
If a History of Benalia had 2 counters and you activated Gilder-Barin's ability and put two more, third ability will be triggered. Only once.
If you read trigger’s text again you will notice, that there are no specifications about how lore counter should be added. Therefore, there are several ways to get a chapter’s effect. You can change a number of lore counters not only from replacement effects or turn-based actions:
You can put an additional counter using Proliferate.
Clockspinning can add or remove counters. It depends on what effect do you need.
As you already know, trigger goes on the stack and does not depend on its source destiny. A change of a number of lore counters nor Saga’s existence does not affect trigger.
Saga’s trigger can be copied by Strionic Resonator’s ability.
Trigger can be cancelled and, in that case, it will be removed from the stack and will not cause make any effect.
If a number of lore counters reach maximum number of chapters, Saga’s controller has to sacrifice it after final chapter’s trigger leaves the stack with SBA.
704.5s. If the number of lore counters on a Saga permanent with one or more chapter abilities is greater than or equal to its final chapter number and it isn't the source of a chapter ability that has triggered but not yet left the stack, that Saga's controller sacrifices it. See rule 714, “Saga Cards.”
Pay attention to a fact, that state-based action , is the only thing that directs player to sacrifice permanent. Everything else either destroys or puts into a graveyard.
Only Sagas can trigger abilities like “Wherever you sacrifice a permanent...”
While final trigger of the Saga is in stack, a player has an opportunity to escape sacrificing Saga, for example, return Saga to its owner hand or reduce a number of lore counters on it:
Vampire Hexmage’s activated ability removes all lore counters from Saga.
You can remove one lore counter from Saga as a Power Conduit’s activated ability cost.
Urza's Saga, Thespian's Stage and Forest they allow you to do a trick with copying.
Reducing a number of lore counters on Saga will not cause triggering of its previous chapters. Triggers are triggered only when lore counters are put on Saga.
Solemnity “turns off” Sagas.
Saga’s triggers will not be triggered because counters cannot be put.
714.2d. A Saga's final chapter number is the greatest value among chapter abilities it has. If a Saga somehow has no chapter abilities, its final chapter number is 0.
Read ahead
The Dominaria United set introduced Sagas with the Read Ahead ability.
When such a Saga enters the battlefield, its controller may choose the starting value of that Saga's Chapter. In this case, the Saga enters the battlefield with the chosen number of lore counters. If there are no effects affecting the number of lore counters, the ability corresponding to the chosen Chapter triggers.
714.3b. Each Saga with read ahead has the intrinsic abilities “As this Saga enters, choose a number between one and this Saga's final chapter number” and “This Saga enters with the chosen number of lore counters on it.” (See rule 702.155, “Read Ahead.”) These abilities create replacement effects (see rule 614.1c).
The player may choose a number from one to the final chapter number in the current Saga. Neither choosing a number nor placing counters on the Saga uses the stack. These actions cannot be responded to.
702.155a. Read ahead is a keyword found on some Saga cards. “Read ahead" means “Chapter abilities of this Saga can't trigger the turn it entered the battlefield unless it has exactly the number of lore counters on it specified in the chapter symbol of that ability.” See rule 714, “Saga Cards.”
Normally, if more than one lore counter is placed on a Saga at a time, all corresponding chapter abilities trigger. Read ahead creates an exception to this rule: when a Saga with Read ahead enters the battlefield, only the ability of the chapter whose number matches the number of lore counters placed on the Saga triggers.
If a replacement effect changes the number of lore counters Saga enters the battlefield with, that effect applies after the player has chosen the Chapter number with which Saga enters the battlefield.
In this case, only the Chapter ability whose number matches the actual number of lore counters will trigger, regardless of the number the player chose.
For example, if you control Doubling Season and choose Chapter 1 for Founding the Third Path, Saga will enter the battlefield with 2 lore counters. Only the Chapter 2 trigger will trigger.
History of Benalia’s abilities
First and second chapters create a 2/2 white Knight creature token with vigilance.
Those tokens noes not have Haste, thus, they are affected by “summoning sickness” — they cannot attack right away.
Knight creature token’s best friends.
3d chapter of History of Benalia gives Knights you control get +2/+1 until end of turn.
It affects all your creatures with a Knight subtype, which are on the battlefield on trigger’s resolution.
Even if one of that creatures loses Knight type (Turn), it would still have an effect until end of turn.
Effect will not affect creatures, which got a Knight subtype after trigger’s resolution.
Effect will not affect Knights, which are entered the battlefield (or you gained control) after trigger’s resolution.
Author: Irina Samonova, MTG Judge lvl2 since 2005
Translated by Aleksandra Ladygina
Since Urza’s Saga is a non-basic land, the ability of Blood Moon removes all its abilities, including the chapter abilities.
А Saga without Chapter abilities is not sacrificed. It remains on the battlefield. So, under the Blood Moon, Urza's Saga will simply be a non-basic mountain. If Urza's Saga has already gained abilities granted by Chapter Triggers by the time the Blood Moon appears on the battlefield, those abilities will remain with the Saga.
If Urza's Saga enters the battlefield where Blood Moon is already present, it will not gain а counter because it will also lose its intrinsic ability.