Some cards have triggered abilities with an intervening “if” clause that checks whether you have the city’s blessing. These are worded “[Trigger condition], if you have the city’s blessing, [effect].” You must already have the city’s blessing in order for these abilities to trigger; otherwise they do nothing. In other words, there’s no way to have the ability trigger if you don’t have the city’s blessing, even if you intend to get it in response to the triggered ability.
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.
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 of your permanents. The city’s blessing isn’t a permanent itself and can’t be removed by any effect.
Last observed on Scryfall 2 months ago at $0.08. Over the trailing 90 days the price moved between $0.03 and $0.08 across 49 observations. Cross-checked across TCGplayer, eBay sold, Cardmarket EU, and Star City.
This printing is one of 3 catalogued treatments from RIX — the lineup includes Foil and Nonfoil alongside the standard finish. Across our catalog the Rarix library tracks every variant in the same family so collectors can compare price, scarcity and demand inside a single lineage.
Card #170 of *Rivals of Ixalan*, the set that shipped alongside the January 2018 Rivals of Ixalan release.
Card type: Creature — Griffin, color identity blue/white, printed at uncommon. Uncommons fill the middle-tier slots in a standard booster configuration. Mana cost: {1}{W}{U} (3 converted). Keyword abilities: Flying and Ascend.
Legal across the major constructed formats — Modern, Legacy, Vintage, and Commander — plus Standard rotation play.
EDHrec ranks this card #27,621 in Commander, putting it in the fringe-play tier of the format's playable pool.
Illustrated by Sam Rowan. Rarix catalogs 71 other cards credited to this artist.
Magic: The Gathering · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast · Illus. Sam Rowan
Card data via Scryfall. Rarix is fan-made; not endorsed by the rights holders.
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.
A permanent is any object on the battlefield, including tokens and lands. Spells and emblems aren’t permanents.
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 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.
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 one, then cast Golden Demise, you won’t have the city’s blessing and the spell will affect creatures you control.
