AI DraftFeb 26, 2026
Innkeeper's Talent + Vraska, Betrayal's Sting
Overview
Innkeeper's Talent and Vraska, Betrayal's Sting interact along two main lines: (A) Innkeeper’s beginning-of-combat triggered ability targets a creature; if Vraska’s −2 ability resolves first and the creature stops being a creature, Innkeeper’s trigger can’t put counters on it because the target is illegal . (B) If Innkeeper is level 3 (has its third-level replacement ability), that replacement doubles any counters that would be put on permanents or players, so Vraska’s −9 that would put poison counters (and Vraska’s proliferate from the 0 ability) are affected by that replacement—doubling the number of counters put and ; doubling poison counters can cause a player to immediately lose due to state-based actions . The Class leveling rules (Ruling [2024-07-26]) determine when Innkeeper gains the level 2 and level 3 abilities, and the compleated Phyrexian-mana ruling (Ruling [2023-02-04]) governs how Vraska enters with fewer loyalty counters if life was paid for 
.
.Step 1
Innkeeper’s first-level triggered ability is 'At the beginning of combat on your turn, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.' That ability triggers at the beginning of combat and is put on the stack waiting to resolve .
Step 2
If the trigger is on the stack, a player may activate Vraska’s −2 ability in response, targeting that same creature; Vraska’s −2 resolves and makes the target become a Treasure artifact and 'loses all other card types and abilities.' At that point the object is no longer a creature.
Step 3
When Innkeeper’s triggered ability tries to resolve it checks its target’s legality; because the object is no longer a creature the target is illegal and the triggered ability is countered (it won’t put any +1/+1 counters) .
Step 4
If instead the Innkeeper trigger resolves first and successfully puts a +1/+1 counter on the creature, that counter is placed. If Innkeeper was already level 3 when that placement would occur, its replacement effect modifies the event and doubles the number of counters put, so two +1/+1 counters are placed instead of one and .
Step 5
If Vraska’s −9 is activated to put poison counters on a player, Innkeeper’s level-3 replacement (if present) will double the number of poison counters being put on that player, which can cause the player to reach ten or more poison counters and immediately lose via state-based actions and .
Step 6
Innkeeper’s level-2 static (if Innkeeper is level 2) grants 'Permanents you control with counters on them have ward 
.' That means any permanent you control that has one or more counters (including Vraska, which has loyalty counters) gains ward , so opponents must pay to target those permanents with spells or abilities that would target them (ward applies when they become targeted by an opponent’s spell/ability).
.' That means any permanent you control that has one or more counters (including Vraska, which has loyalty counters) gains ward , so opponents must pay to target those permanents with spells or abilities that would target them (ward applies when they become targeted by an opponent’s spell/ability).Resolution
1) If Innkeeper’s beginning-of-combat triggered ability is on the stack targeting a creature and Vraska’s −2 resolving in response makes that object lose the creature type before the trigger resolves, the trigger has an illegal target and the ability is countered (it won’t put counters) . 2) If Innkeeper is already level 3 (it has the replacement ability), any time counters would be put on a permanent or player (including from Vraska’s −9 and from Proliferate on Vraska’s 0), Innkeeper’s replacement effect doubles them; that doubling can cause immediate consequences such as a player reaching ten or more poison counters and losing the game and . 3) If Innkeeper is level 2 it grants ward to permanents you control that have counters on them, so Vraska (a planeswalker with loyalty counters) or another permanent that has counters would have ward while that condition holds. 4) Vraska’s compleated reduction of entering loyalty is governed by Ruling [2023-02-04].
to permanents you control that have counters on them, so Vraska (a planeswalker with loyalty counters) or another permanent that has counters would have ward while that condition holds. 4) Vraska’s compleated reduction of entering loyalty is governed by Ruling [2023-02-04].Feedback