Cycling — what does it mean?

Pay the cycling cost and discard this card to draw a new card.

Cycling appears on 405 cards.

How does Cycling work?

Cycling is an activated ability that only works while the card is in your hand (rule 702.29). ‘Cycling 2’ means: pay 2 and discard this card, then draw a card. You can cycle any time you have priority, including on your opponent's turn. Discarding is the cost and happens right away. The draw goes on the stack, so players can still respond before you get the card.

Cycling isn't casting a spell. Effects that trigger when you cast a spell don't care, and a counterspell can't stop it. Only an effect that counters an activated ability can stop the draw, and by then the card is already in your graveyard. Because you discard the card, anything that cares about discarding also triggers. Cards with ‘when you cycle this card’ trigger from the graveyard alongside the draw. An effect that triggers when you ‘cycle or discard’ a card triggers only once.

There are variants, like landcycling and basic landcycling. With those you search your library for a card of the named type, reveal it, put it into your hand, and shuffle. They count as cycling for every rule. Cycling makes a situational card flexible: early on you trade it for something useful, and it ends up in your graveyard, which helps decks that use that zone.

An example at the table

It's your opponent's end step. You have three untapped lands and a card with cycling 2 you won't need this game. You pay 2 and discard it; it's in your graveyard immediately. The draw ability goes on the stack, nobody responds, and you draw. Your last land stays open. Another time, on turn 2 you have only two lands and a card with basic landcycling 1. You pay 1, discard it, search for a basic land, shuffle, and play that land as your land for the turn.

Cards with Cycling

Ash BarrensIllustration: Lucas StaniecKetria TriomeIllustration: Sam BurleyJetmir's GardenIllustration: Kasia 'Kafis' ZielińskaSpara's HeadquartersIllustration: Kieran YannerZagoth TriomeIllustration: Eytan Zana

Common mistakes

• Thinking cycling counts as casting a spell. It's an activated ability; cast triggers don't happen.
• Thinking you can only cycle on your own turn. You can cycle any time you have priority.
• Thinking you get the card back if the ability is countered. Discarding is the cost, so the card is already in your graveyard.
• Thinking landcycling isn't cycling. Cycling variants count for every effect that looks at cycling.

Frequently asked questions

Can I cycle on my opponent's turn?

Yes. Cycling works at instant speed, any time you have priority.

Does cycling count as discarding?

Yes. You discard the card as a cost, so discard triggers happen too.

Can I cycle a card from the battlefield or my graveyard?

No. Cycling only works from your hand.

Can someone stop cycling?

Only with an effect that counters activated abilities or stops cycling. A regular counterspell doesn't work.

Official rule: Comprehensive Rules 702.29. More on where this rulebook comes from under Sources.

Often seen with

TypecyclingLandcyclingTrampleFlyingBasic landcycling

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Which cards with Cycling do you own? →

Last updated: 26 October 2026