City's Blessing

City's Blessing marker

City's Blessing is a player's designation introduced for Rivals of Ixalan. It can be given by the ascend mechanic.

Description

The city's blessing refers to Orazca, the Golden City that the different factions are racing for in the Rivals of Ixalan storyline. If you have the city's blessing, you gain a significant advantage depending on the spell you played.

Although originally flavored in terms of Orazca, later cards with ascend and city's blessing helper cards have reflavored the mechanic to varying degrees. For example, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander's City's Blessing helper card references the journey to Ixalan's core (from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan story), while the Murders at Karlov Manor Commander's City's Blessing helper card reframes the mechanic in terms of the city of Ravnica and the power of its guilds (alongside Ravnica-flavored ascend cards, such as Detective of the Month and the MKC reprint of Twilight Prophet). Additionally, one card from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (Andúril, Narsil Reforged) uses the ascend mechanic; however, no corresponding helper card exists due to that card being first printed in the holiday release.

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

City’s Blessing

A designation a player can have. The ascend keyword causes a player to get this designation once they control ten permanents. See rule 702.131, “Ascend.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 702.131c The city’s blessing is a designation that has no rules meaning other than to act as a marker that other rules and effects can identify. Any number of players may have the city’s blessing at the same time.

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 702.131d After a player gets the city’s blessing, continuous effects are reapplied before the game checks to see if the game state or preceding events have matched any trigger conditions.

Rulings

• The city's blessing isn't a permanent or emblem, and nothing can destroy it or otherwise interact with it.
• The printed card is only used as a reminder.

Cards that give the city's blessing

All cards with ascend. These are also all the cards which derive some benefit from having the city's blessing. There do not currently exist any cards which reference the city's blessing but do not have ascend.