Parley

Keywords · intermediate

Parley is an ability word. It has no rules meaning of its own; it just marks a family of cards where every player reveals the top card of their library, and the effect scales with how many of those cards are nonland.

How it works

• Each player reveals the top card of their library. For each nonland card revealed this way, the parley card's controller gets a benefit (creating tokens, putting a +1/+1 counter on a creature, or pumping attackers), and only their own reveals count toward that total.
• After the reveal, each player draws a card, so every player at the table gets some benefit, not just the caster.
• Parley effects have shown up as one-shot spells, a creature's enter-the-battlefield trigger, and an attack trigger.

Rules notes

• Ability words like parley carry no independent rule; only the printed effect on the card matters. Two cards both labeled "Parley" work however their own text says, not by a shared rule.
• Because every player reveals a card, parley effects are more valuable at a full table: more players means more chances at a nonland reveal.
• The final "each player draws a card" happens regardless of how the reveal went, so parley never costs an opponent a card relative to not existing.

Rule reference

[207.2c]