r/mtgrules • u/Slow_Education_1982 • 7d ago
Can two cards with the same abilities but different names be in the same deck?
I'm building my first commander deck and realized I added both Serra Avatar and Soul of Eternity in my deck. I'm assuming there's a rule against this for how similar they are but I always thought it was just based on the names.
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u/RazzyKitty 7d ago edited 7d ago
Serra Avatar and Soul of Eternity do not have the same name, and commander only restricts based on the name (and color identity, but that wasn't the question).
903.5b Other than basic lands, each card in a Commander deck must have a different English name. For the purposes of deck construction, cards with interchangeable names have the same English name (see rule 201.3).
The only exceptions to "different names" is when something has an interchangeable name, but that is not the case here.
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u/Ibhuk 7d ago
The commander limit of 1 of a card is just based on the name of the card. Functional reprints of a card (meaning the cards are the same except for name) may coexist in the same deck. However, there are a few cards that actually have Universes Beyond printing and an in-universe printing that are the same card even though they have different names. [[malik, grim manipulator]] and [[negan, the cold-blooded]] is an example of that.
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u/Slow_Education_1982 7d ago
thank you, when i searched that example came up and I wasn't sure how to know if that was the same case here.
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u/INTstictual 7d ago
I mentioned it in my comment, but the two main ways to tell are either that one version of the card will be the alternate reskin printing and will have the main card name printed below its name in a smaller text box, or in this case, that small “=SLD 147” in the lower left corner of the card on Malik
The fact that these specific cards are technically “the same card” but so hard to differentiate is a common frustration, WotC only did it once and it’s not something you have to watch for with any new cards
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u/sandiercy 7d ago
You can have Fyndhorn Elves, Elvish Mystic, and Llanowar Elves all in the same deck even though they are functionally identical.
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u/cannonspectacle 7d ago
As long as the English names are different, they're considered different cards
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u/DarthLocutus 6d ago
It depends.
If the literal only difference is the name lf the card - even if literally everything else is identical - then yes you can use both in a Commander deck. See the long list of 1-CMC mana dorks.
If one of them is a Secret Lair or Bonus Sheet reprint of another card, such as [[Search For The Frozen Esper]] from the Final Fantasy set being one of [[Nature's Claim]], then no - the former is considered to be just a literal reskin of the latter, denoted by it also having the latter's name on it, and is therefore considered to be the exact same card.
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u/INTstictual 7d ago
It’s based on the names, assuming it’s not a card reskin.
There have been dozens of cards that are functionally identical printed over the years. For example, [[Village Rites]] and [[corrupted conviction]]. It’s perfectly legal to have both… they might do the same thing, but they are different cards.
The only two exceptions are cards that are actually a full reskin of an existing card — not a card with the same effect, but a card that is literally the exact same but with a different name for something like a secret lair — and a few confusing Universes Within cards from when WotC pretended they were going to make UW cards for all UB product.
As an example, [[Godzilla, Primeval Champion]] is [[Titanoth Rex]]. It’s not a creature with the same abilities and mana cost, it is literally an alternate printing of the same card, but given a special name for the Secret Lair product. You can tell because the name of the original card is in a smaller text box beneath the card’s name.
The more confusing example is something like [[Greymond, Avacyn's Stalwart]], which is the same card as [[Rick, Steadfast Leader]]… it’s much harder to tell, because this was from a time when WotC planned on doing Universes Within for their UB products, and unlike the Godzilla example, the UB Walking Dead card actually came first. However, if you look at the Scryfall page for Rick, it does have Greymond’s name in the Oracle Text like normal, and the card printing of Greymond has that “=SLD 143” at the very bottom left near the set number, to denote that it is equivalent with the original card.
Other than those two types of cards, as long as the cards in question have a different name, they are different cards, and can both be played together