MTG Cascade rules explained

MTG Cascade is a keyword that lets you cast an extra spell for free, but behind this simple concept, you’ll find surprising complexity. This guide breaks down and explains all the key Cascade Magic: The Gathering rules, including how to resolve multiple Cascades and what cards can and can’t be cast with the ability.

We’ll also cover the differences between Cascade and Discover, a keyword that’s cropped up in recent MTG sets. After that, we’ll look at the best Cascade cards for your Magic decks (or MTG Arena decks, if you prefer to play online).

Here’s everything you need to know about MTG Cascade:

How does MTG Cascade work?

When you cast a spell with the MTG Cascade keyword, you exile cards from the top of your library until you hit a spell with a lower mana value. You may cast that spell without paying its mana cost, then put the other cards exiled on the bottom of your library.

When you cast a spell that has Cascade, the spell goes on the stack, and then its Cascade ability goes on top of it. They then resolve like this:

1. Exile the top card of your library until you exile a non-land spell with a lower mana cost than the original card with Cascade.
2. Choose whether you want to cast this spell without paying its mana cost.
3. Place all other cards you exiled on the bottom of your library in a random order.
4. If you do cast it, resolve the second spell.
5. Resolve the original spell with the Cascade keyword. 

What kind of ability is MTG Cascade?

Cascade is a triggered ability, and it triggers when the card with Cascade is cast. 

What if you Cascade into another Cascade?

If you Cascade and cast another spell with Cascade, you resolve the second Cascade before the original spell resolves. This sounds simple, but it’s actually quite a complex step-by-step process – mainly because you’ll need to resolve your Cascade triggers separately from the spells that feature the Cascade keyword. It’ll look something like this:

1. Exile the top card of your library until you exile a non-land spell with a lower mana cost than the original card with Cascade.
2. Choose to cast the second spell (which also has Cascade) without paying its mana cost.
3. Place all other cards exiled by the first spell with Cascade on the bottom of your library.
4. Trigger the second Cascade: exile the top card of your library until you exile a non-land spell with a lower mana cost than the second spell with Cascade.
5. Choose whether to cast the third spell without paying its mana cost.
6. Place all cards exiled by the second Cascade on the bottom of your library.
7. If you do cast it, resolve the third spell.
8. Fully resolve the second spell you cast with the Cascade keyword.
9. Resolve the original spell with the Cascade keyword.

If your third spell has the Cascade keyword, add it to the Stack, finish resolving the previous Stack trigger, resolve the third Cascade, and then resolve the spells in a similar order as shown above. Remember the Stack’s ‘last in, first out’ rule for resolving spells. 

What if a card has multiple MTG Cascade keywords?

If a single spell has multiple instances of Cascade, each triggers separately. These go on the Stack at the same time, and you can choose what order they go in – but each effect is identical, so it really doesn’t matter.

For example, let’s look at the card above, which has two separate Cascade keywords:

1. Cast the spell (in this case, Call Forth the Tempest).
2. Trigger the first Cascade, and choose whether to play the spell you exile.
3. Place all other cards exiled on the bottom of your library.
4. Resolve the additional spell if you chose to cast it.
5. Trigger the second Cascade, and choose whether to play the spell you exile.
6. Place all other cards exiled on the bottom of your library.
7. Resolve the additional spell if you chose to cast it.
8. Resolve the original spell with the Cascade keywords. 

How does ‘as you Cascade’ work in MTG?

If a spell lets you perform an action “as you Cascade”, you take this action after you’ve finished exiling cards with your Cascade ability but before choosing whether to cast an exiled non-land with the required mana cost.

For example, Averna, the Chaos Bloom lets you put an MTG land onto the battlefield tapped if you exiled it during your Cascade ability. Assuming Averna is already on the battlefield, you’d resolve everything in this order:

1. Cast a spell with Cascade.
2. Exile the top card of your library until you exile a non-land spell with a lower mana cost than the original card with Cascade.
3. Trigger Averna’s ability and place a land from the exiled cards onto the battlefield tapped.
4. Choose whether you want to cast the non-land spell without paying its mana cost.
5. Place all other cards you exiled on the bottom of your library in a random order.
6. If you do cast it, resolve the second spell.
7. Resolve the original spell with the Cascade keyword. 

Does Cascade cast as counting a spell?

The comprehensive MTG rules say that “you may cast” a card exiled by Cascade, so it counts as casting that spell. It also means using Cascade can trigger other abilities that activate when a spell is cast. 

Can I choose not to Cascade?

If you cast a spell with Cascade, you must resolve the Cascade ability. However, you can choose whether or not to cast the spell exiled by Cascade. 

Can you counter MTG Cascade?

You can counter a spell that has the Cascade keyword, but the Cascade effect still triggers. You can also counter the exiled card cast with Cascade, though this won’t prevent the Cascade ability either.

If you want to counter Cascade itself, you’ll need a card that can counter a triggered ability (such as Stifle or Trickbind). You can also prevent someone from casting a spell with Cascade if you’ve played a spell that limits the number of spells your opponent can cast (for example, Rule of Law or Archon of Emeria). 

How does Cascade work with alternative costs?

You can’t pay a spell’s alternative cost when casting them with Cascade. Cascade itself is something of an alternative cost, and the requirements for being able to cast that exiled spell rely on the regular mana cost of a card rather than any alternative, optional cost. That means things like Plot, Overload, or Morph.

While you can’t pay alternative costs, you can pay additional costs when casting a spell with Cascade. Extra abilities like Kicker and Spree are still on the table. 

How does Cascade work with split cards?

Before it’s cast, the mana value of a split card equals the mana of both halves. For example, consider the card ‘Odds // Ends’. The first part of the card may only cost two mana to play, but the second half costs five mana. This means the total mana value is seven, so your Cascade would need to come from a spell with a mana cost of eight or above if you wanted to exile and cast Odds // Ends. 

How does Cascade work with double-faced cards?

If the front face of a double-faced card meets the mana requirements, you can cast it using Cascade. However, you can still only cast a face with a mana value that’s lower than the original spell. If one face has a lower mana value and the other doesn’t, you can only cast the spell on that first face.

The same goes for Adventure cards. If you can afford to cast the Sorcery but not the creature, only the Sorcery can be cast for free using Cascade.

This used to be different, but Magic fans found a way to exploit the rules, allowing costly, powerful spells like Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor, to be played for free. To prevent this, the Cascade rules errata from 2021 now says “you may cast that spell without paying its mana cost if its mana value is less than this spell’s mana value”. 

What’s the difference between Cascade and Discover?

Like Cascade, Discover lets you exile cards from the top of your library until you find one you are able to cast, but there are three big differences between Cascade and Discover.

1. Discover is not automatically triggered when you cast the spell that it is part of.
2. Instead of looking for a spell with equal or lesser mana value than the spell with Discover, there will be a specific Discover value (e.g. ‘Discover 5’). This is the mana value you will check against.
3. You can choose to put an eligible card in your hand instead of casting it.

Just like with Cascade, all other exiled cards go on the bottom of your deck in a random order.

If it doesn’t automatically happen when you the spell is cast, when does Discover take effect? The timing will be specified in the card, or it will be implicit because of the card type. It could even be triggered by casting a spell – the spell would say “When you cast this spell, Discover X”.

In the case of an instant or sorcery, you will Discover as part of the resolution of that spell. The spell must resolve for you to Discover, so if it’s countered you won’t get to Discover. Likewise, if you cast it, it begins to resolve, but something causes it to fizzle, you also won’t get to Discover.

For example, Daring Discovery is a sorcery that says “Up to three target creatures can’t block this turn. Discover 4.” If you cast two of your opponent’s creatures with the first clause, and your opponent sacrifices them in response, the spell will fizzle and you won’t get to Discover.

In the case of a permanent spell, the ability to Discover will be a triggered or activated ability that explains when it happens, or what cost you need to pay to make it happen. Chimil, the Inner Sun is an artifact with the triggered ability “at the beginning of your end step, Discover 5”. Buried treasure is an artifact with the activated ability “Pay five generic mana, exile Buried treasure from your Graveyard: Discover 5. Activate only as a sorcery”.

Lead MTG designer Mark Rosewater says in a 2023 blog post that Cascade is “easier to manipulate through deck-building, which is a downside from a play design sense, but an upside from a power level sense”, compared to Discover.

The best MTG Cascade cards

Bloodbraid Elf

Starting with a smaller creature than you might expect, Bloodbraid Elf is an aggressive little guy that can chip in right away and also fetches you a free spell (and a useful one at that) in the process. It may not look that imposing, but you’d be a fool to underestimate it. Bloodbraid Elf was in fact so dominant in Modern midrange decks that it was banned for a time in the format, between 2013 – 2018.

The First Sliver

Slivers are a powerful and popular tribe, infamous for granting their abilities to every other sliver you play. The very best commander for the sliver tribe is the Cascade card, The First Sliver. You need one mana of each colour to cast it, but once it’s out of the field, it gives every sliver card in your deck Cascade.

If you’re playing this card, it probably isn’t the only sliver in your deck. You’ve probably got a deck stuffed with slivers, all crammed together in a spiky, squirmy pile. That means once The First Sliver comes down, you’re likely to cheat out card after card with Cascade, assembling a formidable force all at once, to your opponents’ horror.

Apex Devastator

You’d be forgiven for thinking this card was a printing error, but no, this is the intended effect, it’s a big ol’ basic creature with four lots of Cascade – the only Cascade Cascade Cascade Cascade MTG card out there.

A vanilla 10/10 for 10 mana is a terrible, terrible deal, but with Apex Devastator, the cost is almost a benefit. You’re not playing the card for its mighty body, you’re playing it for the chance to cheat out four other cards, and potentially nine-drops at that.

The only downside is the big one that comes with any Cascade card, the randomness of the mechanic. While you might end up with the most terrifying board state ever, it’s also possible you’ll hit three mana rocks and a ramp spell, and be left looking very silly.

Maelstrom Wanderer

Maelstrom Wanderer trades in two copies of Cascade for an anthem effect giving every creature Haste. The downside is there’s more chance that you’ll whiff, the upside is if you do find a threatening creature, it can attack instantly (as can the Wanderer itself).

This card can also be your commander, giving you the chance to use it multiple times over the course of a commander game. Just remember that commander tax is an additional cost, it doesn’t increase Maelstrom Wanderer’s mana cost, and therefore doesn’t boost the effectiveness of Cascade.

For a more general rules overview, here’s a reminder of how to play Magic: The Gathering. Or, if you’re after cards, here are the MTG Arena codes that still work in the digital trading card game.

Source: Wargamer