Martyr for the Cause

Format legality

Where you can play Martyr for the Cause in sanctioned and popular formats.

All printings

Prices range from $0.24 to $0.37 across finishes. Cheapest printing: War of the Spark at $0.24.

More from War of the Spark

See all 311 cards in War of the Spark →

Rulings

Official rulings from Wizards of the Coast (7).

• 2023-02-04If a player or permanent has more than one kind of counter on it, and you choose for it to get additional counters, it must get one of each kind of counter it already has. You can't have it get just one kind of counter it already has and not the others.
• 2023-02-04To proliferate, you can choose any permanent that has a counter, including ones controlled by opponents. You can choose any player who has a counter, including opponents. You can't choose cards in any zone other than the battlefield, even if they have counters on them.
• 2023-02-04You don't have to choose every permanent or player that has a counter, only the ones you want to add another counter to. Since "any number" includes zero, you don't have to choose any permanents at all, and you don't have to choose any players at all.
• 2023-02-04If a permanent ever has both +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters on it at the same time, they're removed in pairs as a state-based action so that the permanent has only one of those kinds of counters on it.
• 2023-02-04An ability that triggers "Whenever you proliferate" triggers even if you chose no permanents or players while doing so.
• 2023-02-04Players can respond to a spell or ability whose effect includes proliferating. Once that spell or ability starts to resolve, however, and its controller chooses which permanents and players will get new counters, it's too late for anyone to respond.
• 2019-05-03If another creature with a +1/+1 counter on it is dealt lethal damage at the same time as Martyr for the Cause, the triggered ability can't proliferate a +1/+1 counter on the other creature in time to save it.

Frequently asked questions