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Esper Terra
mtgCard

Card Name

Esper Terra

Type

Legendary Enchantment Creature – Saga Wizard

Rarity

Mythic Rare

rules Text

(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.)I, II, III — Create a token that's a copy of target nonlegendary enchantment you control. It gains haste. If it's a Saga, put up to three lore counters on it. Sacrifice it at the beginning of your next end step.IV — Add , , , , and . Exile Esper Terra, then return it to the battlefield (front face up).//Flying

Legal Formats

Alchemy, Brawl, Commander, Explorer, Historic, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Standard, Vintage

Not Legal Formats

Pauper

Rulings

(6/6/2025)
Saga creatures have two sections to their text boxes. The first section, above the type line, contains their chapter abilities, and the second section, below the type line, contains any other abilities (or italicized flavor text). Any abilities in the latter section aren't chapter abilities and apply no matter how many lore counters are on the creature.
(6/6/2025)
Due to a rules change that takes effect with this release (see below for details), a Saga that somehow loses all of its chapter abilities will not be sacrificed as a state-based action. It will also not gain a lore counter at the beginning of each of its controller's first main phases.
(6/6/2025)
As a Saga enters, its controller puts a lore counter on it. As your first main phase begins (immediately after your draw step), you put another lore counter on each Saga you control. Putting a lore counter on a Saga in either of these ways doesn't use the stack.
(6/6/2025)
Each symbol on the left of a Saga's text box represents a chapter ability. A chapter ability is a triggered ability that triggers when a lore counter that is put on the Saga causes the number of lore counters on the Saga to become equal to or greater than the ability's chapter number. Chapter abilities are put onto the stack and may be responded to.
(6/6/2025)
A chapter ability doesn't trigger if a lore counter is put on a Saga that already had a number of lore counters greater than or equal to that chapter's number. For example, the third lore counter put on a Saga causes the chapter III ability to trigger, but chapters I and II won't trigger again.
(6/6/2025)
Once a chapter ability has triggered, the ability on the stack won't be affected if the Saga gains or loses counters, or if it leaves the battlefield.
(6/6/2025)
If multiple chapter abilities trigger at the same time, their controller puts them on the stack in any order. If any of them require targets, those targets are chosen as you put the abilities on the stack, before any of those abilities resolve.
(6/6/2025)
Removing lore counters won't cause a previous chapter ability to trigger. If lore counters are removed from a Saga, the appropriate chapter abilities will trigger again when the Saga receives more lore counters.
(6/6/2025)
Once the number of lore counters on a Saga is greater than or equal to the greatest number among its chapter abilities, the Saga's controller sacrifices it as soon as its chapter ability has left the stack, most likely by resolving or being countered. This state-based action doesn't use the stack.
(6/6/2025)
Each face of a transforming double-faced card has its own set of characteristics: name, types, subtypes, abilities, and so on. While a transforming double-faced permanent is on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that's currently up. The other set of characteristics is ignored.
(6/6/2025)
Each transforming double-faced card in this release is cast face up. In every zone other than the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of its front face. If it is on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that's up; the other face's characteristics are ignored.
(6/6/2025)
The mana value of a transforming double-faced card is the mana value of its front face, no matter which face is up.
(6/6/2025)
The back face of a transforming double-faced card usually has a color indicator that defines its color.
(6/6/2025)
A transforming double-faced card enters the battlefield with its front face up by default, unless a spell or ability instructs you to put it onto the battlefield transformed or you cast it transformed, in which case it enters with its back face up.
(6/6/2025)
In the Commander variant, a double-faced card's color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered. For example, Cecil, Dark Knight's color identity is black and white, since its front face is black and its back face has a white color indicator.
(6/6/2025)
A transforming double-faced card enters with its front face up by default, unless a spell or ability instructs you to put it onto the battlefield transformed or allows you to cast it transformed, in which case it enters with its back face up.
(6/6/2025)
If you are instructed to put a card that isn't a double-faced card onto the battlefield transformed, it will not enter at all. In that case, it stays in the zone it was previously in. For example, if a single-faced card is a copy of Crystal Fragments, it will be exiled during the resolution of its second ability and remain in exile.
(6/6/2025)
A token that is created as a copy of a transforming permanent or a transforming double-faced card in another zone is a transforming token. It will have both the front face and back face of whatever object it's copying. If it's copying a transforming permanent whose back face is up, the token will enter with its back face up. It can transform if instructed to do so.