Baral and Kari Zev

one generic mana one blue mana one red mana Legendary Creature — HumanPower and toughness2/4

First strike, menace

Whenever you cast your first instant or sorcery spell each turn, you may cast a spell with lesser mana value that shares a card type with it from your hand without paying its mana cost. If you don't, create First Mate Ragavan, a legendary 2/1 red Monkey Pirate creature token. It gains haste until end of turn.

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24 printings · up to 0.39 $

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Baral and Kari Zev rulings

2023-04-14
If the spell has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
2023-04-14
Baral and Kari Zev will count any instant or sorcery spell you cast during a turn, even if it wasn’t on the battlefield at the time. This means if you cast an instant or sorcery spell, then Baral and Kari Zev comes under your control, its triggered ability won’t trigger that turn.
2023-04-14
The spell you cast from your hand without paying its mana cost is cast during the resolution of the triggered ability. Timing restrictions of that spell based on card type are ignored. It will resolve before the spell that caused the ability to trigger.
2023-04-14
If you cast a spell without paying its mana cost, you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay any additional costs. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those.

Baral and Kari Zev keyword rules

First strike Rule 702.7

First strike is a static ability that modifies the rules for the combat damage step. (See rule , “Combat Damage Step.”)

If at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike or double strike (see rule ) as the combat damage step begins, the only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are those with first strike or double strike. After that step, instead of proceeding to the end of combat step, the phase gets a second combat damage step. The only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are the remaining attackers and blockers that had neither first strike nor double strike as the first combat damage step began, as well as the remaining attackers and blockers that currently have double strike. After that step, the phase proceeds to the end of combat step.

Giving first strike to a creature without it after combat damage has already been dealt in the first combat damage step won’t preclude that creature from assigning combat damage in the second combat damage step. Removing first strike from a creature after it has already dealt combat damage in the first combat damage step won’t allow it to also assign combat damage in the second combat damage step (unless the creature has double strike).

Multiple instances of first strike on the same creature are redundant.