The initiative: how it works and how to take it
Take the initiative and you venture into Undercity right away, then again every upkeep. Here's how it works, how to steal it, and what happens if you're already in another dungeon.
In this article
The initiative came with Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate in 2022. It works a lot like the monarch: a title that sits in the middle of the table and moves to whoever hits its holder in combat. The difference is what it gives you, and how fast.
How the initiative works
Rule 726 of the Comprehensive Rules gives the initiative three abilities that belong to the game, not to any card:
At the beginning of the upkeep of the player who has the initiative, that player ventures into Undercity.
Whenever one or more creatures a player controls deal combat damage to the player who has the initiative, the controller of those creatures takes the initiative.
Whenever a player takes the initiative, that player ventures into Undercity.
So the moment you take it, you venture. If you still have it at your next upkeep, you venture again. Only one player can have the initiative at a time.
Undercity
Undercity is the dungeon the initiative uses. You move one room down each time you venture, and at some rooms you pick between two paths. Every path is five rooms long:
| Room | What it does |
|---|---|
| Secret Entrance | Search your library for a basic land, put it into your hand |
| Forge or Lost Well | Two +1/+1 counters on a creature, or scry 2 |
| Trap!, Arena or Stash | A player loses 5 life, goad a creature, or make a Treasure |
| Archives or Catacombs | Draw a card, or make a 4/1 Skeleton with menace |
| Throne of the Dead Three | Reveal the top ten cards, put a creature onto the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters and hexproof until your next turn |
Which rooms you can reach depends on the path you took, so not every combination is possible. Reaching the Throne completes the dungeon. The next time you venture into Undercity, you start again at the Secret Entrance.
Taking the initiative from someone
You need one or more of your creatures to deal combat damage to the player who has it. One point from one creature is enough. You take it and venture right away, so a single unblocked attacker gets you a room immediately and another one at your next upkeep.
These don’t take the initiative:
- Noncombat damage, like burn spells.
- Combat damage to the initiative player’s planeswalkers or battles.
- Life loss that isn’t damage.
If you’re already in a dungeon
This trips people up. If you’re partway through another dungeon (from a “venture into the dungeon” card, say) and you take the initiative, you don’t switch to Undercity. You keep moving through the dungeon you’re in (rule 701.49d). Undercity only starts once you’ve finished that one.
Cards that give you the initiative
- White Plume Adventurer. You take the initiative when it enters, and it untaps a creature at the beginning of each opponent’s upkeep.
- Undermountain Adventurer. Takes the initiative when it enters and taps for two green mana, or six once you’ve completed a dungeon.
- Seasoned Dungeoneer. Takes the initiative and helps your attackers get through.
- Explore the Underdark. Ramps two lands and gives you the initiative.
Initiative vs the monarch
Both titles move with combat damage and both go to the active player if the holder leaves the game. The monarch draws you a card at your end step. The initiative ventures right away and again every upkeep, so it pays off faster when you steal it. We compare them side by side in our monarch guide.
Keeping track at the table
The initiative changes hands a lot in multiplayer, and the Undercity room is easy to forget between turns. A coin or token in front of the holder helps, plus the dungeon card itself with a die on the current room.
Lotus has an Initiative marker in the menu. Turn it on and drag it to whoever takes it, so the whole table can see who ventures next upkeep.
