Secret of Bloodbending

While controlling another player, you also continue to make your own choices and decisions.

Wotc — October 02, 2025

Controlling a player doesn't allow you to look at that player's sideboard. If an effect instructs that player to choose a card from outside the game, you can't have that player choose any card.

Wotc — October 02, 2025

You can't make any illegal decisions or illegal choices—you can't do anything that player couldn't do. You can't make choices or decisions for that player that aren't called for by the game rules or by any cards, permanents, spells, abilities, and so on. If an effect causes another player to make decisions that the affected player would normally make (such as Master Warcraft does), that effect takes precedence. In other words, if the affected player wouldn't make a decision, you wouldn't make that decision on that player's behalf.

Wotc — October 02, 2025

If the targeted player skips their next combat phase or turn, you'll control the next combat phase or turn the affected player actually takes.

Wotc — October 02, 2025

You also can't make any choices or decisions for the player that would be called for by the tournament rules (such as whether to take an intentional draw or whether to call a judge).

Wotc — October 02, 2025

In a Two-Headed Giant game, gaining control of a player causes you to gain control of each player on that team.

Wotc — October 02, 2025

You only control the player. You don't control any of that player's permanents, spells, or abilities.

Wotc — October 02, 2025

While controlling another player, you can see all cards in the game that player can see. This includes cards in that player's hand, face-down cards that player controls, and any cards in that player's library the player may look at.

Wotc — October 02, 2025

The player you're controlling is still the active player during that turn.

Wotc — October 02, 2025

You can't make the affected player concede. That player may choose to concede at any time, even while you're controlling that player.

Wotc — October 02, 2025

Multiple player-controlling effects that affect the same player overwrite each other. The last one to be created is the one that works.

Wotc — October 02, 2025

While controlling another player, you make all choices and decisions that player is allowed to make or is told to make. This includes choices about what spells to cast or what abilities to activate, as well as any decisions called for by triggered abilities or for any other reason.

Wotc — October 02, 2025

You can use only the affected player's resources (cards, mana, and so on) to pay costs for that player; you can't use your own. Similarly, you can use the affected player's resources only to pay that player's costs; you can't spend them on your costs.

Wotc — October 02, 2025