What does Merry Bards do in Magic: The Gathering?

When this creature enters, you may pay {1}. When you do, create a Young Hero Role token attached to target creature you control. (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature has "Whenever this creature attacks, if its toughness is 3 or less, put a +1/+1 counter on it.")

Merry Bards | Wilds of Eldraine

Rulings

You don't choose a target for Merry Bards's ability at the time its enters-the-battlefield ability triggers. Rather, a second "reflexive" ability triggers when you pay {1} this way. You choose a target for that ability as it goes on the stack. Each player may respond to this triggered ability as normal.

2023-09-01 • wotc

Roles are colorless enchantment tokens. Each one has the Aura and Role subtypes and the enchant creature ability.

2023-09-01 • wotc

If a permanent has more than one Role attached to it controlled by the same player, each of those Roles except the one with the most recent timestamp is put into its owner’s graveyard. This is a state-based action.

2023-09-01 • wotc

If two or more Roles controlled by the same player become attached to a permanent at the same time (perhaps due to an effect such as that of Doubling Season), that player chooses which one to keep and which are put into their owners’ graveyards.

2023-09-01 • wotc

A permanent can have multiple Roles attached to it if each one is controlled by a different player.

2023-09-01 • wotc

Some spells and abilities that create Role tokens require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won’t resolve. The Role token won’t be created.

2023-09-01 • wotc

In rare cases, a spell or ability might attempt to create a Role token enchanting a permanent that it can’t legally enchant (because of an ability like protection from enchantments). In such cases, the Role token isn’t created.

2023-09-01 • wotc

Hexproof and shroud won’t prevent a Role from becoming attached to a permanent if the ability creating that Role attached to that permanent doesn’t target it.

2023-09-01 • wotc

Cards in the Wilds of Eldraine main set create six different Role tokens: Cursed, Monster, Royal, Sorcerer, Wicked, and Young Hero. A seventh Role token, Virtuous, is created by Ellivere of the Wild Court, the commander of the “Virtue and Valor” Commander Deck.

2023-09-01 • wotc

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