AI DraftFeb 26, 2026
Ashnod's Altar + Karmic Guide + Reveillark
Overview
With Ashnod's Altar on the battlefield, Karmic Guide's ETB can return Reveillark from your graveyard, and sacrificing creatures to Ashnod's Altar will produce mana and cause leaves-the-battlefield triggers to go on the stack; whether you can loop these two creatures depends on whether Reveillark's leave-the-battlefield trigger is allowed to return Karmic Guide (Reveillark only returns creatures with power 2 or less) and on how evoke/echo behave. Evoke is a triggered sacrifice when Reveillark enters if it was cast for its evoke cost . Echo is an upkeep-triggered sacrifice unless you pay its echo cost, and paying echo is optional and Ruling [2021-06-18].
Step 1
Start with Ashnod's Altar on the battlefield and Karmic Guide and Reveillark either in graveyard or one on battlefield as described in each scenario; Ashnod's Altar's activated ability sacrifices a creature to add 
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for you (text provided).Step 2
Cast Karmic Guide normally (or use any method to put it onto the battlefield); when it enters the battlefield its triggered ability triggers and you may return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield and Karmic Guide's ETB goes on the stack as a triggered ability.
Step 3
Use Karmic Guide's ETB to target and return Reveillark from your graveyard to the battlefield; Reveillark becomes a permanent on the battlefield when that triggered ability resolves .
Step 4
At this point you can activate Ashnod's Altar's ability and pay its activation cost which includes sacrificing a creature; paying a sacrifice as an activation cost causes that creature to leave the battlefield as part of cost payment before the activated ability goes on the stack, so leaves-the-battlefield triggers will be generated and later put on the stack when state-based actions and trigger queuing occur .
Step 5
If Reveillark leaves the battlefield (by being sacrificed to the Altar or being sacrificed as part of another cost), Reveillark's leave-the-battlefield triggered ability triggers and may target up to two creature cards with power 2 or less in your graveyard [Ruling 2018-12-07].
Step 6
If Reveillark's trigger targets and returns Karmic Guide (possible only if Karmic Guide is power 2 or less), then when that triggered ability resolves Karmic Guide will be put onto the battlefield , which creates Karmic Guide's ETB trigger and can return Reveillark back to the battlefield and continue the interaction.
Step 7
Repeating sacrifices to Ashnod's Altar (sacrificing both creatures each cycle) will create mana each sacrifice ( per creature) and the leave-the-battlefield and enter-the-battlefield triggers will re-create the creatures if Reveillark's return targets are legal; this is what allows a loop if and only if Reveillark can return Karmic Guide and Ruling [2018-12-07].
per creature) and the leave-the-battlefield and enter-the-battlefield triggers will re-create the creatures if Reveillark's return targets are legal; this is what allows a loop if and only if Reveillark can return Karmic Guide and Ruling [2018-12-07].Step 8
If Karmic Guide's power is greater than 2 (so Reveillark cannot target it), you do not get a self-sustaining loop; you can still return Reveillark once with Karmic Guide's ETB and sacrifice creatures for mana, but Reveillark's LTB cannot return Karmic Guide and the cycle stops.
Resolution
If Reveillark's leave-the-battlefield trigger can target and return Karmic Guide (i.e., Karmic Guide is a creature card with power 2 or less), then the following repeating sequence is possible using Ashnod's Altar: have both on the battlefield, sacrifice them to Ashnod's Altar (each sacrifice is an activation that causes the creature to leave the battlefield and gives you ), have Reveillark's leave-the-battlefield trigger return both creatures to the battlefield, and repeat — producing net mana each cycle. If Karmic Guide has power greater than 2 (as printed in most printings), Reveillark cannot target it with its ability and the loop is not possible; you can still use Karmic Guide to return Reveillark once and Sacrifice creatures to Ashnod's Altar for mana, but you will not get an automatic infinite loop. Evoke on Reveillark causes it to be sacrificed when it enters if it was cast for its evoke cost , and Reveillark's leave-the-battlefield trigger may target zero, one, or two creature cards in your graveyard [Ruling 2018-12-07]. Paying Echo is optional and Ruling [2021-06-18].
), have Reveillark's leave-the-battlefield trigger return both creatures to the battlefield, and repeat — producing net mana each cycle. If Karmic Guide has power greater than 2 (as printed in most printings), Reveillark cannot target it with its ability and the loop is not possible; you can still use Karmic Guide to return Reveillark once and Sacrifice creatures to Ashnod's Altar for mana, but you will not get an automatic infinite loop. Evoke on Reveillark causes it to be sacrificed when it enters if it was cast for its evoke cost , and Reveillark's leave-the-battlefield trigger may target zero, one, or two creature cards in your graveyard [Ruling 2018-12-07]. Paying Echo is optional and Ruling [2021-06-18].Feedback