Contest of Claws (Commander: The Lost Caverns of Ixalan) Light Play

Contest of Claws

Contest of Claws reads like a compact study in tempo and card advantage. The spell turns a creature's raw power into damage and then into card selection if that damage carries through. Use a robust attacker to trade into a blocker and potentially discover a new tool midgame. This fits well in decks that plan for favorable combat trades and that can push through a bit of excess damage reliably.

From a lore perspective the card captures the Ixalan theme of primal combat and sudden reward. The wording on the card is precise and functional. Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to another target creature. If the damage leaves any excess then you discover that many mana value. Play it as a removal trick or as a way to convert a pumped attacker into immediate card advantage. Light play condition and normal English printing make this copy ready for play or study in a collection.

Card Details:

• Mana Cost – {1}{G}
• Card Type – Sorcery
• Subtypes –
• Card Text / Rules Text (Printed) – Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to another target creature. If excess damage was dealt this way, discover X, where X is that excess damage. (Exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card with that mana value or less. Cast it without paying its mana cost or put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom in a random order.)
• Power / Toughness –
• Loyalty –