The Battlefield

Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness

$35.59

Flamerush Rider

$0.15

VerifiedFeb 26, 2026

Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness + Flamerush Rider

Overview

No — if you cast Flamerush Rider using Etali’s “you may cast ... without paying their mana costs” permission, you cannot pay Dash as an alternative cost (Ruling [2023-04-14]). That means the Rider won’t gain the haste Dash would provide, so it cannot attack the same turn it was cast and thus cannot trigger that turn to create a token copy of Etali. On a later turn, when the Rider actually attacks, its attack trigger can target Etali and create a token that is a copy of whichever face of Etali it targeted; the token copies only the printed characteristics of that Etali (Ruling [2014-11-24]) and any relevant enter-the-battlefield triggered ability on the printed card will trigger when the token enters the battlefield (112.6).

Step 1

Etali (front face) enters the battlefield and its triggered ability resolves, exiling cards from the top of each library until a nonland card is exiled and giving you the permission to cast any number of those exiled nonland cards without paying their mana costs.

Step 2

You may choose to cast Flamerush Rider using that permission, which is casting the card “without paying its mana cost” (Ruling [2023-04-14]).

Step 3

Because you are casting the Rider without paying its mana cost, you may not pay any alternative costs (including Dash) as part of that cast (Ruling [2023-04-14]).

Step 4

Since you didn’t (and can’t) pay the Dash alternative cost, the Rider will not gain Dash’s granted haste and therefore cannot attack that same turn (it won’t have haste).

Step 5

Because Flamerush Rider’s copy effect triggers “Whenever this creature attacks,” it will not trigger that combat turn if it was cast via Etali and didn’t have haste; therefore it cannot create a token copy of Etali that same turn.

Step 6

On a future turn when the Rider attacks normally, its attack trigger can target another attacking creature (for example, Etali) and create a tapped, attacking token copy of that creature as the trigger resolves.

Step 7

That token is created as a token copy of the chosen attacking creature and copies only the printed characteristics of that creature (Ruling [2014-11-24]).

Step 8

If the token is a copy of Etali’s front face (the face with the ETB exile-and-cast ability printed on it), that printed triggered ability is on the token and will trigger because it entered the battlefield (abilities printed on permanents function while on the battlefield as described in ); if the token copies the transformed/back face, it will copy whatever printed abilities that face has instead.

Resolution

You cannot cast Flamerush Rider for its Dash cost when casting it via Etali’s ability because that casting is done “without paying its mana cost,” and alternative costs (like Dash) can’t be paid in that situation (Ruling [2023-04-14]). Therefore the Rider won’t gain haste from Dash and cannot attack that same turn to produce its copying token. If the Rider attacks on a later turn, its attack trigger can target Etali and create a tapped, attacking token copy of Etali; that token copies only Etali’s printed characteristics (Ruling [2014-11-24]) and any enter-the-battlefield triggered ability printed on the copied face will trigger when the token enters the battlefield (112.6).

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