Detective of the Month

two generic mana one blue mana Creature — Human DetectivePower and toughness2/3

Ascend (If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game.)

As long as you have the city's blessing, Detectives you control can't be blocked.

Whenever you draw your second card each turn, create a 2/2 white and blue Detective creature token.

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Showing Murders at Karlov Manor Commander#21

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10 printings · up to 0.49 $

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Detective of the Month rulings

2024-02-02
If you cast a spell with ascend, you don't get the city’s blessing until it resolves. Players may respond to that spell by trying to change whether you get the city’s blessing.
2024-02-02
Once you have the city’s blessing, you have it for the rest of the game, even if you lose control of some or all your permanents. The city’s blessing isn’t a permanent itself and can’t be removed by any effect.
2024-02-02
A permanent is any object on the battlefield, including tokens and lands. Spells and emblems aren’t permanents.
2024-02-02
If you control ten permanents but don’t control a permanent or resolving spell with ascend, you don’t get the city’s blessing. For example, if you control ten permanents, lose control of two, then cast Detective of the Month, you won’t have the city’s blessing.
2024-02-02
If your tenth permanent enters the battlefield and then a permanent leaves the battlefield immediately afterwards (most likely due to the “legend rule” or due to being a creature with 0 toughness), you get the city’s blessing before it leaves the battlefield.
2024-02-02
Ascend on a permanent isn’t a triggered ability and doesn’t use the stack. Players can respond to a spell that will give you your tenth permanent, but they can’t respond to you getting the city’s blessing once you control that tenth permanent. This means that if your tenth permanent is a land you play, players can’t respond before you get the city’s blessing.
2024-02-02
Gaining the city’s blessing after a Detective you control has become blocked won’t cause that Detective to become unblocked.

Detective of the Month keyword rules

Ascend Rule 702.131

Ascend on an instant or sorcery spell represents a spell ability. It means “If you control ten or more permanents and you don’t have the city’s blessing, you get the city’s blessing for the rest of the game.”

Ascend on a permanent represents a static ability. It means “Any time you control ten or more permanents and you don’t have the city’s blessing, you get the city’s blessing for the rest of the game.”

The city’s blessing is a designation that has no rules meaning other than to act as a marker that other rules and effects can identify. Any number of players may have the city’s blessing at the same time.

After a player gets the city’s blessing, continuous effects are reapplied before the game checks to see if the game state or preceding events have matched any trigger conditions.