The monarch in Magic: rules, cards and traps

You are playing Commander, someone casts Palace Jailer, announces "I become the monarch," and everyone looks around the table without quite knowing what that changes. The monarch is one of the simplest mechanics to understand and one of the easiest to play badly: it is an extra card every turn for whoever holds it, and a target painted on their back for everyone else.

This guide explains what the monarch is and what the official rule says, how you become it and how you lose it, what happens when the monarch leaves the game, which cards give it and which ones reward it, the special case of Palace Jailer, and how to play with or against it at a table of four. At the end you will also see what these cards cost in Quebec.

What the monarch is

The monarch is a designation a player can have, like a title. It is not a card, not a permanent, and it does not live in any zone of the game. At the start of a game, nobody has it. It appears the day a card tells a player to become the monarch, and from then on it never goes away: there is always a monarch until the game ends, except for one very rare case covered below.

The mechanic was born in 2016 in the set Conspiracy: Take the Crown, designed for multiplayer. That is no accident: it only makes full sense with more than two players, because it creates politics. Who attacks whom, who protects whom, who lets the title stay with whoever holds it. In a two-player duel the monarch plays a bit like a race for the baton. At four players, it is a conversation.

The monarch is not reserved for Commander, but that is where it shines. Scryfall lists 62 cards that mention the monarch and are legal in that format (search run on November 2, 2026), which makes it a theme you can really build around.

The official rule, line by line

Everything fits in rule 725 of the Magic Comprehensive Rules, "The Monarch." Tapt shows the full rules on its Magic rules page: you can read rule 725 exactly as Wizards of the Coast published it (September 25, 2026 version), in English.

Here is what each paragraph says, in plain words:

• 725.1. The monarch is a designation. There is none until an effect names one.
• 725.2. Being the monarch gives you two triggered abilities. They have no source: they come from no card, so you cannot turn them off by destroying a card. They are controlled by the player who was the monarch when they triggered.
• 725.3. Only one player is the monarch at a time. When a player becomes the monarch, the previous one stops being it.
• 725.4. If the monarch leaves the game, another player takes the title (detailed below).
• 725.5. An effect that depends on who the monarch is does nothing while nobody is.

If you want to look up a term, the Tapt glossary gives the same definition in one sentence and points to rule 725.

The monarch's two abilities

The exact text of these two abilities is in rule 725.2. Here they are in short:

1. At the beginning of the monarch's end step, that player draws a card. This happens during their own turn, after combat. It is one extra card per turn, with no mana paid and no dependence on a card on the battlefield. That is the heart of the advantage.
2. Whenever a creature deals combat damage to the monarch, its controller becomes the monarch. The title is stolen by hitting the player, not their permanents. Damage that is not combat damage (a damage spell, an effect that makes a player lose life) does not count.

Note two things. First, stealing needs combat damage. A player with no creature able to get through cannot steal the title, even with a hand full of spells. Second, it is the creature's controller who becomes the monarch, not the creature itself: a token, a stolen creature or a creature you control temporarily all work.

Since these abilities have no source, nobody can stop them by targeting a card. There is no card to destroy to "switch off" the monarch: the only way to deal with the monarch is to take it or protect it.

Becoming the monarch, and staying one

You become the monarch by resolving a card that says so. Most often it is text like "When this creature enters, you become the monarch." The principle is always the same: an effect names you, and the title is yours.

Keeping it is the real difficulty. As long as you are the monarch, you draw, and everyone at the table has a good reason to hit you. The ways to keep it are the ones the game has in general:

• Blockers. A blocking creature stops combat damage from reaching you. The monarch wants creatures that stay home, or creatures with deathtouch to discourage attacks.
• Effects that stop attacks or make players pay to attack.
• A bigger board than everyone else. If nobody can get through, the title does not move.

To take the title, you need a creature that hits the monarch and survives the trip. A creature with flying, haste or that cannot be blocked gets there more easily. The moment the hit connects, your table watches you take the card of the turn: you are now the monarch, and you draw in your end step.

When the monarch leaves the game

Rule 725.4 covers a case nobody wants to leave fuzzy: what happens if the monarch is eliminated, or concedes? The title does not vanish, it goes to someone else by a precise rule:

1. The active player (the one whose turn it is) becomes the monarch, at the same time the other player leaves the game.
2. If the active player is the one leaving, or if there is no active player, the next player in turn order who can become the monarch does so.
3. If no player still in the game can become the monarch, the game continues with no monarch.

An official Wizards ruling, published on Palace Jailer on March 19, 2021, confirms the first case: in a multiplayer game, if the monarch leaves the game, the player whose turn it is immediately becomes the monarch.

This detail matters when you face a stubborn monarch. Eliminating the monarch is not always the best idea: if it is your turn, you inherit the title without having attacked. And if it is not your turn, it is the player to your left who may get it.

The cards that make you the monarch

Cards that give the title fall into two families: those that are simple sources of advantage, and those that make you pay dearly for being the monarch. Here are some of the most played, with their text checked on Scryfall:

• Palace Jailer (2WW, creature): makes you the monarch, and exiles a creature an opponent controls until an opponent becomes the monarch. More on that below.
• Thorn of the Black Rose (3B, creature): deathtouch, and makes you the monarch. Deathtouch makes it a good guardian of the title, because nobody likes attacking into a creature that kills whatever it touches.
• Queen Marchesa (1RWB, legendary creature): deathtouch, haste, makes you the monarch, and creates a token when an opponent holds the title.
• Court of Grace (2WW, enchantment): makes you the monarch when it enters, and creates tokens each upkeep.
• Skyline Despot (flying creature): makes you the monarch, and creates a 5/5 flying Dragon each upkeep if you still are one.
• Regal Behemoth (creature with trample): makes you the monarch, and adds an extra mana whenever you tap a land while you are the monarch.

There is also a whole series of enchantments called the Courts (Court of Ambition, Court of Cunning, Court of Ire, Court of Locthwain, Court of Ardenvale, and others). They all start by making you the monarch, then each offers a small bonus at every upkeep. They are enchantments: they do not die in combat, which makes them harder to remove than a creature.

Palace Jailer, the card that raises the questions

Palace Jailer is the card everyone cites when talking about the monarch, and it is also the one that raises the most questions. Its text, checked on Scryfall, says two things:

1. When it enters, you become the monarch.
2. When it enters, exile target creature an opponent controls until an opponent becomes the monarch.

Wizards' official rulings spell out the cases that trip people up most often:

• If you are not the monarch when the second ability resolves, the creature is exiled until there is a new monarch and that new monarch is an opponent. It does not come back right away just because an opponent already is the monarch.
• Any opponent becoming the monarch brings the creature back, not only the one it belonged to.
• If Palace Jailer leaves the battlefield, the exiled creature does not return. The game keeps watching for the next opponent who becomes the monarch.
• An exiled token ceases to exist: it does not come back.
• Auras that were on the exiled creature go to their owners' graveyards, Equipment becomes unattached and stays on the battlefield, and counters are gone.

Keep the overall logic in mind: Palace Jailer gives you a card each turn and removes a threat from the game, as long as you protect the title. As soon as an opponent hits you in combat and takes the crown, the exiled creature returns. The game rewards whoever keeps the title, and that is the starting point of all the table politics.

The cards that reward the monarch

Some cards do not make you the monarch, but get much better if you are one, or if someone else is. These are the ones that push you to play around the title rather than hold it at all costs.

A few examples, checked on Scryfall:

• Court of Grace becomes a token machine if you protect the title: a 4/4 flying Angel instead of a 1/1 Spirit.
• Skyline Despot and Regal Behemoth also need you to be the monarch for their full effect.
• Queen Marchesa does the opposite: she creates a deathtouch, haste token each upkeep as long as an opponent is the monarch. She likes it when the title sits with someone else.

That last card shows the subtlety of the mechanic. A player can decide not to be the monarch: they let an opponent get attacked, enjoy the token, and take the title back when ready. The monarch is not always the best role.

Playing with and against the monarch at a table of four

With these rules in mind, here is how the mechanic really plays, especially in four-player Commander.

If you are the monarch, your mission is simple: let no combat damage through. You draw an extra card each turn, so you have more options than the others, but only if you hold on. Keep blockers, play cards that defend or discourage attacks, and do not make the mistake of putting everything into your attack: a creature committed to attack does not block.

If you are not the monarch, you choose: take the title, or let another player keep it. Taking it is a good idea when you have a creature that gets through easily (flying, haste, or unblockable) and the monarch is weakened. Leaving it is a good idea when you do not have the defense to keep it: you would barely take it before another player took it from you.

At the table, one golden rule: the monarch is not an opponent to eliminate, it is a title to pass around. If everyone hits the same player, that player has no chance. But if the table takes turns hitting the monarch, it moves from hand to hand, and that is exactly why many groups love it.

If your table likes to talk power level before playing, the monarch fits well in the conversation about Commander brackets: a monarch deck is slow to start but draws a lot once it is going, and that is not the same as a deck that wins through a combo. Our guide to Commander brackets explained details how to talk about it at your table.

What these cards cost in Quebec

The monarch is a cheap theme to build: several of the cards above cost less than a dollar. Palace Jailer, the best known, exists in several printings. Tapt compares its price across shops here.

That day, the lowest price was $0.25 at Fetch & Shock, out of 156 shops compared. The Tales of Middle-earth Commander printing cost $0.32 at SeaToSky Games, and the one from The List cost $0.38 at 401 Games. The gaps are small because the card is cheap, but they show the principle: the same card does not cost the same from one shop to another, or from one printing to another.

If a card on your list is too expensive today, Tapt's price tracking warns you when it drops. And for ready-made decks built around the monarch, our preconstructed Commander decks show what a ready-made deck is worth before you build one. If you want to know where to buy your cards in general, our guide to comparing the price of a Magic card in Quebec explains the method.

Frequently asked questions

Can there be several monarchs at once? No. Rule 725.3 is clear: only one player is the monarch at a time. When a player becomes the monarch, the previous one stops being it.

Does the monarch draw every turn, even other players' turns? No. They draw at the beginning of their own end step, so once per turn, during their own turn. Opponents' turns give them nothing.

Can a damage spell steal the title from me? No. A creature has to deal combat damage to the monarch. Spell damage, life loss and non-combat effects do not count.

What happens if the monarch is eliminated? The player whose turn it is becomes the monarch at the same moment (rule 725.4). If that player is the one leaving, or there is no active player, the next player in turn order can take it.

If Palace Jailer dies, does the exiled creature come back? No. According to the official ruling, the creature does not return because Palace Jailer left the battlefield. It only returns when an opponent becomes the monarch.

Going further

The monarch rewards whoever plays tight, protects what they have and reads the table. It is also a mechanic you grasp in one game and master over dozens. For the rule itself, Tapt's Magic rules page gives you the official text, updated with each version. To pick your cards at the best price, the comparison tool and the price tracking do the work. And if you want to know what level to place your deck at before sitting down, reread our guide to Commander brackets.