{"id":1847,"date":"2026-09-24T06:54:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T06:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krakenthemeta.com\/blog\/mtg-initiative\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T06:54:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T06:54:03","slug":"mtg-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krakenthemeta.com\/blog\/mtg-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"MTG Initiative Explained: Rules, the Undercity Dungeon Room by Room, All 26 Initiative Cards, Why Five Are Banned, and a Budget Sefris Deck (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The initiative has the worst ban record of any mechanic this site has measured. It appeared in Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate<\/em> on 10 June 2022 with 26 cards. Four years later there are still only those 26: no new initiative card has been printed since, and five of the 26 are banned somewhere.<\/strong> Pauper banned four of the commons after three months, and Legacy banned White Plume Adventurer after nine. That is 19% of the population, a higher share than storm (6 of 34), which ranks as the second-most-banned keyword in Magic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

This guide covers the rule word for word, how you take and lose the initiative, and the Undercity dungeon room by room, with the shortest path and which branch to take. It explains the difference between “venture into Undercity” and “venture into the dungeon”, which is the ruling most players get wrong. It then compares the initiative with the monarch, lists all 26 cards with Scryfall prices and EDHREC deck counts, covers the ban record in both formats, the rulings, the commanders and the four precons, and ends with a $84.22 Sefris of the Hidden Ways deck that takes the initiative again every turn.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

What is the initiative in MTG?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

The initiative is a designation that one player at a time can have, similar to the monarch.<\/strong> When you take it, you venture into Undercity, a special nine-room dungeon. While you have it, you venture again at the start of each of your upkeeps. If any player’s creatures deal combat damage to you, that player takes the initiative from you and ventures into Undercity themselves. If you take the initiative while you already have it, you still venture. That last point is why so many initiative cards are creatures with an enters trigger: flicker one and you move another room.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Question<\/th>Answer<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
What kind of rule is it?<\/td>A player designation (Comprehensive Rules 726), not a keyword ability. Scryfall has no keyword:initiative<\/code> filter; the search o:initiative<\/code> finds the cards.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
How many cards mention it?<\/td>26 cards plus the Undercity dungeon card. 23 of the 26 make you take the initiative; three only reward you for having it (Imoen, Rasaad, Safana).<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
When was it introduced?<\/td>Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate (CLB), 10 June 2022. Every one of the 26 debuted there.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Printed since?<\/td>No new initiative card in any set since June 2022.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Where is it legal?<\/td>Commander, Legacy and Vintage (all 26, minus White Plume Adventurer in Legacy). Pauper: 3 legal, 4 banned. Never legal in Standard, Pioneer, Modern or any Arena format.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
What does it do?<\/td>You venture into Undercity when you take it and at the start of each of your upkeeps. Combat damage to you moves it to the attacker.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
How long to complete Undercity?<\/td>Five ventures along any path, e.g. take it and then keep it through four of your upkeeps.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Cheapest way in<\/td>22 of the 26 cost under $1. Only Avenging Hunter, Seasoned Dungeoneer, Sarevok’s Tome and White Plume Adventurer cost more than $2.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody><\/table>\r\n\r\n

The rule, word for word<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

The Comprehensive Rules (7 August 2026 edition) cover the initiative in five short rules. Most tabletop arguments about it end once someone reads 726.2 and 726.5:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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726.1.<\/strong> The initiative is a designation a player can have. There is no initiative in a game until an effect instructs a player to take the initiative. A player who currently has the initiative designation is said to have the initiative.<\/p>\r\n

726.2.<\/strong> There are three inherent triggered abilities associated with having the initiative. These triggered abilities have no source and are controlled by the player who had the initiative at the time the abilities triggered. This is an exception to rule 113.8. The full text of these abilities are “At the beginning of the upkeep of the player who has the initiative, that player ventures into Undercity,” “Whenever one or more creatures a player controls deal combat damage to the player who has the initiative, the controller of those creatures takes the initiative,” and “Whenever a player takes the initiative, that player ventures into Undercity.”<\/p>\r\n

726.3.<\/strong> Only one player can have the initiative at a time. As a player takes the initiative, the player who currently has the initiative ceases to have it.<\/p>\r\n

726.4.<\/strong> If the player who has the initiative leaves the game, the active player takes the initiative at the same time that player leaves the game. If the active player is leaving the game or if there is no active player, the next player in turn order takes the initiative.<\/p>\r\n

726.5.<\/strong> If the player who currently has the initiative is instructed to take the initiative, this causes the last triggered ability in 726.2 to trigger but does not create a second initiative designation.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n

Three consequences follow directly from the text:<\/p>\r\n\r\n