The Temur Clan are back in Tarkir: Dragonstorm, and some of their cards have a new ability called harmonize. Blue, red, and green have all historically had some pretty big creatures inMagic: The Gathering, and with harmonize you’re able to get them to help you cast spells.

Spells with harmonize can be cast from your hand normally, but you also have the option to cast them from your graveyard, giving you plenty of options for recursion as the game goes on. Read on to find out everything you need to know about this new ability.

The harmonize mechanic is not to be confused with the green sorcery card, Harmonize, which was originally printed in Future Sight.

What Does Harmonize Do In Magic: The Gathering?

Harmonize is found on instants and sorceries, and it allows them to becast from the graveyard by paying the mana cost listed next to their harmonize ability.Doing so causes the card to be exiled after it resolves (or is countered, if you’re unlucky).

The spell’s casting cost and harmonize cost are separate; the casting cost is used when you play it from your hand, and the harmonize cost is used when you play it form the graveyard.

For most cards with harmonize, the idea is toplay them from your hand first, at which point they’ll resolve and go to the graveyard. you may thenpay their harmonize cost to cast them againlater in the game, exiling them afterward.

Tapping Creatures To Reduce Harmonize Costs

Whenever you pay the mana cost to cast a spell using its harmonize ability, you canreduce the cost by tapping a creature you control.Doing so reduces the harmonize cost by an amount of generic manaequal to the tapped creature’s power. There are two imporant things to note about reducing the harmonize cost this way:

How Is Harmonize Different From Convoke?

Longtime Magic players might see harmonize as similar to convoke, as both abilities allow you to tap creatures to help pay for mana costs. However, they have key differences, and it’s important not to get them confused.

As many as you want.

What Do I Get For Tapping The Creature(s)?

Reduces the generic mana cost to harmonize by the creature’s current power.

Each creature pays for 1 mana of the card’s casting cost, either generic or of the tapped creature’s color.

Where Can I Use The Ability From?

Only from the graveyard.

Usually just from your hand, but if you have a way to cast the spell from elsewhere, like your graveyard, you’re able to convoke.

Nothing different; the spell is cast normally.

How To Make The Most Of Harmonize

In nearly every case, it’s always best tocast the spell from your hand first, then harmonize it from your graveyard. Even if you tap a creature to completely remove the generic mana cost, harmonizing is usually more expensive than casting spells the old-fashioned way, and besides, that tapped creatures could have done something else.

While harmonize is pretty straightforward, there are a few tricks you can try with it:

Best Cards With Harmonize

Here are some of our favorite cards from Tarkir: Dragonstorm that let you double-dip with harmonize!

Roamer’s Routine

It’s a bit slow for Constructed, but in Limited this common allows for some useful ramp; always good in a green deck! Three mana is a bit steep to cast it from your hand, but potentially harmonizing it for one makes Roamer’s Routine a worthwhile mid-pack selection in Draft.

Mammoth Bellow

Five mana for a 5/5 isn’t knocking anyone’s socks off, but next turn you can tap that 5/5 and pay three mana to get another one. It’s a slow and roundabout way to establish a board presence, but now you have two 5/5 creatures.

Winternight Stories

Draw three, then discard two, or just discard one creature. That’s a pretty good deal, especially if that creature has something to do from the graveyard. Since you’re playing blue, try sending something withrenew.

Ureni’s Rebuff

Sending a creature back to its owner’s hand is usually a better way of dealing with it than sending it to the graveyard. Sure, your opponent can re-summon it, but that puts them a turn behind and they don’t get any graveyard tech they might have had. Ureni’s Rebuff lets you bounce the creature again via harmonize, making them cast it a third time.

Glacial Dragonhunt

For an uncommon, Glacial Dragonhunt makes pretty good use of two mana. It lets you draw a card with the option to discard, and tacks a creatures-only Lightning Bolt on top for good measure. You can even do it again if you want, thanks to harmonize!