Streets of New Capenna brought with it several exciting new mechanics. In this article, I’ll go over everything you need to know about one of those mechanics: Alliance.
Alliance is an Ability Word that highlights Triggered Abilities on certain cards from the Streets of New Capenna set. These abilities trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control. Alliance abilities have a variety of different effects, depending on the card.
Although this isn’t the most complicated mechanic we’ve ever seen, there’s still a lot to cover. I’ll do my best to explain it all in as much detail as possible. I’ll also give my picks for the best Alliance cards out there today.
What Is Alliance?
Alliance is a new mechanic from Streets of New Capenna unique to the Cabaretti family. This is the Naya mechanic, so only red, green and white cards have it. Alliance is an ability word, which means it doesn’t actually do anything by itself. Rather, it just groups together a bunch of different triggered abilities that all work the same way.
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How Does It Work?
Alliance is an ability word that highlights triggered abilities that trigger whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control. The effects differ per card.
MTG Fnadom Wiki
The same way Landfall triggers when a land enters the battlefield, Alliance abilities trigger when a creature enters the battlefield. Indeed, the mechanic was actually called “Creaturefall” during development. Each creature with Alliance has a unique ability that triggers any time a creature comes into play under your control. This mechanic rewards outnumbering your opponents by building up a big alliance of creatures.
Its also possible to have multiple creatures with Alliance on the battlefield at once. If you do, whenever a creature enters on your side, each creature’s ability will trigger. You get to choose the order they trigger in.
FAQs
Can You Use Alliance More Than Once Per Turn?
Yes. Alliance abilities can trigger an unlimited amount of times. As long as you can keep the creatures coming, Alliance keeps providing.
Do Tokens Trigger Alliance?
Yup, they sure do! Alliance abilities trigger every time any creature enters the battlefield under your control. This includes tokens.
How Does It Work if Multiple Creatures Enter the Battlefield At Once?
If multiple creatures enter the battlefield at once, Alliance triggers multiple times, once for each creature that enters. All the more reason to build up your alliance in a hurry.
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Full List of Creatures With Alliance
- Devilish Valet
- Gala Greeters
- Elegant Entourage
- Sizzling Soloist
- Rumor Gatherer
- Witty Roastmaster
- Attended Socialite
- Social Climber
- Celebrity Fencer
- Venom Connisseur
Best Creatures
Witty Roastmaster
For three mana you get a 3/2 creature with a nice ability. Witty Roastmaster deals one damage to target opponent every time a creature enters the battlefield under your control.
While that might not seem like much, you should never underestimate the power of pinging. Witty Roastmaster is perfect for “go-wide” aggro decks, adding just enough extra damage to win close games. The format Witty Roastmaster shines brightest in, however, is Commander where he has big combo potential.
Gala Greeters
While Gala Greeters might not be as flashy as Devilish Valet, it’s still a solid card. For just two mana you get 1/1 creature with three different Alliance abilities to choose from.
- Put a +1/+1 counter on Gala Greeters
- Create a tapped Treasure Token
- You gain 2 life
This gives you a lot of versatility. You can buff Gala Greeters, ramp yourself, and gain some life. The bad part is that once you’ve used all three abilities in a turn, you can’t use them anymore that turn, which limits combo potential.
Devilish Valet
Devilish Valet is a crazy fun card. For three mana you get a 1/3 creature with Haste and Trample. The best part, however, is that every time another creature enters the battlefield under your control, Devilish Valet ‘s power doubles until end of turn. Fore example, if you manage to play four creatures, Devilish Valet power goes to 16! This can really get out of control in Commander where you have countless token generators at your disposal.
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Cards that Synergize With Alliance
Jetmir, Nexus of Revels
Jetmir, Nexus of Revels is a four-mana 5/4 creature that rewards you for having a bunch of creatures. If you have three or more, they all get +1/+0 and gain Vigilance. Six or more and they get another +1/+0 and gain Trample. And if you manage to get nine or more, they get a third +1/+0 bonus and get Double Strike!
Cabaretti Ascendancy
Cabaretti Ascendancy is a three-mana enchantment that lets you look at the top card of your library during your upkeep. If the top card is a creature or a planeswalker, you get to put it into your hand. If it’s not, you can either leave it on top, or put it on bottom. This is huge for an Alliance strategy since it lets you either draw an extra creature per turn, or get rid of non-creatures you don’t need.
End Step
Alliance brings an exciting new flavor to the Naya colors and has the potential to have an impact in constructed formats. Just how big of an impact remains to be seen. It’s clear, however, that Alliance, along with the other four mechanics from the Capennan Crime Families is sure to bring exciting new interactions to Magic for quite some time.
I hope this article has answered any and all questions you might have about. If not be sure to drop a comment below and I’ll be happy to respond.
