
Baral and Kari Zev
Legendary Creature — Human
First strike, menace
Whenever you cast your first instant or sorcery spell each turn, you may cast a spell with lesser mana value that shares a card type with it from your hand without paying its mana cost. If you don't, create First Mate Ragavan, a legendary 2/1 red Monkey Pirate creature token. It gains haste until end of turn.
2 / 4
Commander bracket
Derived from card traits, not a ruling — bracket rules turn on how a deck intends to use a card. Bracket rules
EDHREC
Combos
Not part of any combo on Commander Spellbook.
Commander recommendations
Top synergy 50
Played far more in this commander's decks than elsewhere.
- Ancestral Vision
- Inevitable Betrayal
- Dig Through Time
- Treasure Cruise
- Ovika, Enigma Goliath
- Reality Scramble
- Polymorph
- Transmogrify
- Wheel of Fate
- Divergent Transformations
- Chaos Mutation
- Fact or Fiction
- Silundi Vision
- Silundi Vision
- Prismari Command
- Baral, Chief of Compliance
- Abrade
- Talrand, Sky Summoner
- Rewind
- Proteus Staff
- Eris, Roar of the Storm
- Skullclamp
- Expressive Iteration
- Mindsplice Apparatus
- Young Pyromancer
- Mystic Confluence
- Unwind
- Third Path Iconoclast
- Baral's Expertise
- Opt
- Aetherize
- Hullbreaker Horror
- Jori En, Ruin Diver
- Guttersnipe
- Consider
- Of One Mind
- Snap
- Sorcerer Class
- Fiery Inscription
- Blasphemous Act
- Brainsurge
- Frantic Search
- Chaotic Transformation
- Archmage of Runes
- Preordain
- Brainstorm
- Mystic Sanctuary
- Niv-Mizzet, Parun
- Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast
- Goblin Electromancer
Most included 50
Highest share of decks running them, distinctive or not.
- Island
- Mountain
- Command Tower
- Arcane Signet
- Sol Ring
- Sulfur Falls
- Shivan Reef
- Izzet Signet
- Frantic Search
- Brainstorm
- Blasphemous Act
- Talisman of Creativity
- Ancestral Vision
- Treasure Cruise
- Counterspell
- Dig Through Time
- Opt
- Ponder
- Chaos Warp
- Archmage Emeritus
- Preordain
- Inevitable Betrayal
- Frostboil Snarl
- Temple of Epiphany
- Cascade Bluffs
- Steam Vents
- Expressive Iteration
- Ovika, Enigma Goliath
- Abrade
- Storm-Kiln Artist
- Mystic Sanctuary
- Goblin Electromancer
- Guttersnipe
- Izzet Boilerworks
- Stormcarved Coast
- Prismari Command
- Reliquary Tower
- Niv-Mizzet, Parun
- Snap
- Big Score
- Consider
- Negate
- Training Center
- Lightning Bolt
- Exotic Orchard
- Faithless Looting
- Reality Scramble
- Pongify
- Talrand, Sky Summoner
- Polymorph
Format legality
Rulings
- 2023-04-14
Baral and Kari Zev will count any instant or sorcery spell you cast during a turn, even if it wasn’t on the battlefield at the time. This means if you cast an instant or sorcery spell, then Baral and Kari Zev comes under your control, its triggered ability won’t trigger that turn.
- 2023-04-14
If the spell has
in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
- 2023-04-14
If you cast a spell without paying its mana cost, you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay any additional costs. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those.
- 2023-04-14
The spell you cast from your hand without paying its mana cost is cast during the resolution of the triggered ability. Timing restrictions of that spell based on card type are ignored. It will resolve before the spell that caused the ability to trigger.