AI DraftFeb 26, 2026
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds + Staff of Domination
Overview
Selvala’s 
, 
ability is a mana ability and doesn’t use the stack or allow responses [Ruling 2016-08-23]. You can tap Selvala to add X mana (where X is the greatest power among creatures you control) and then use that mana to activate Staff of Domination’s abilities (in particular 
,: Untap target creature and 
: Untap this artifact) to untap Selvala and repeat. The net mana change per full untap cycle is X − 4, so if X ≥ 5 you gain mana each cycle and can produce arbitrarily large amounts of mana (and therefore pay Staff’s 
, draw repeatedly). If X = 4 the cycle breaks even; if X ≤ 3 the cycle consumes mana and cannot be repeated indefinitely. Also note that if X is 0 or less, Selvala adds no mana [Ruling 2016-08-23].
, ability is a mana ability and doesn’t use the stack or allow responses [Ruling 2016-08-23]. You can tap Selvala to add X mana (where X is the greatest power among creatures you control) and then use that mana to activate Staff of Domination’s abilities (in particular ,: Untap target creature and : Untap this artifact) to untap Selvala and repeat. The net mana change per full untap cycle is X − 4, so if X ≥ 5 you gain mana each cycle and can produce arbitrarily large amounts of mana (and therefore pay Staff’s , draw repeatedly). If X = 4 the cycle breaks even; if X ≤ 3 the cycle consumes mana and cannot be repeated indefinitely. Also note that if X is 0 or less, Selvala adds no mana [Ruling 2016-08-23].Step 1
Have both permanents under your control (Selvala and Staff). Ensure you can pay the initial to activate Selvala at least once (see assumptions).
to activate Selvala at least once (see assumptions).Step 2
Activate Selvala’s , : Add X mana (this is a mana ability and adds the mana immediately; it doesn't use the stack) [Ruling 2016-08-23].
, : Add X mana (this is a mana ability and adds the mana immediately; it doesn't use the stack) [Ruling 2016-08-23].Step 3
From the mana produced, pay and activate Staff’s ,: Untap target creature, choosing Selvala as the target. That taps the Staff and untaps Selvala (you used Staff to untap Selvala).
and activate Staff’s ,: Untap target creature, choosing Selvala as the target. That taps the Staff and untaps Selvala (you used Staff to untap Selvala).Step 4
Now Selvala is untapped and you have X − 3 mana in your pool. Activate Selvala again (pay , tap) to add another X mana to your pool (again, a mana ability) [Ruling 2016-08-23].
, tap) to add another X mana to your pool (again, a mana ability) [Ruling 2016-08-23].Step 5
At this point the Staff is tapped. To reuse the Staff’s untap-target ability you must get the Staff untapped, which you can do by paying and activating Staff’s : Untap this artifact. That reduces your pool by .
and activating Staff’s : Untap this artifact. That reduces your pool by .Step 6
Pay and tap Staff with its , ability again to untap Selvala. After this sequence you’re back to the same relative tapped/untapped state as earlier, and the net mana gained for the cycle that returned you to that state is X − 4 (one activation of Selvala yields X mana but the cycle required paying and from the Staff).
and tap Staff with its , ability again to untap Selvala. After this sequence you’re back to the same relative tapped/untapped state as earlier, and the net mana gained for the cycle that returned you to that state is X − 4 (one activation of Selvala yields X mana but the cycle required paying and from the Staff).Step 7
If X − 4 > 0 (i.e., X ≥ 5) the loop produces net positive mana each repetition, so you can grow your mana without bound and then pay Staff’s ,: Draw a card repeatedly to draw arbitrarily many cards. If X = 4 the loop is net-zero; if X ≤ 3 you lose mana each repetition and cannot sustain the loop. Also note if X ≤ 0 Selvala adds no mana [Ruling 2016-08-23].
,: Draw a card repeatedly to draw arbitrarily many cards. If X = 4 the loop is net-zero; if X ≤ 3 you lose mana each repetition and cannot sustain the loop. Also note if X ≤ 0 Selvala adds no mana [Ruling 2016-08-23].Resolution
Selvala’s last ability is a mana ability and doesn’t use the stack or allow responses [Ruling 2016-08-23]. Using Staff of Domination’s , (untap creature) and (untap this artifact) you can create a repeatable loop whose net mana per repetition is X − 4 (X = greatest power among your creatures). If X ≥ 5 you can generate infinite mana and therefore draw arbitrarily many cards with the Staff; if X = 4 the loop is mana-neutral; if X ≤ 3 the loop is not profitable. If X ≤ 0 Selvala adds no mana [Ruling 2016-08-23].
, (untap creature) and (untap this artifact) you can create a repeatable loop whose net mana per repetition is X − 4 (X = greatest power among your creatures). If X ≥ 5 you can generate infinite mana and therefore draw arbitrarily many cards with the Staff; if X = 4 the loop is mana-neutral; if X ≤ 3 the loop is not profitable. If X ≤ 0 Selvala adds no mana [Ruling 2016-08-23].Feedback