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Triggered effect ss

The lightning bolt icon, explicitly indicating a triggered effect

Trigger

Triggered effect icon

Spellburst

One-time effect icon

Triggered effects are effects that activate in response to specific events. Triggered effects may belong to minions, weapons or spells (in the form of Secrets), as well as some boss Hero Powers.

Triggered effects include named abilities such as Battlecry and Deathrattle, as well as unnamed effects such as those of LegacyCult Master, LegacySword of Justice and LegacyRagnaros the Firelord. All Secrets are triggered effects. Many triggered effects must first be put into play in order to become active - such as by playing the minion, equipping the weapon, or casting the Secret - while others activate when the card itself is drawn, discarded or put into play. Different types of triggered effect often share common rules for their activation.

Since the most common types of triggers are represented by keywords such as Battlecry, the term triggered effect is sometimes used more specifically to refer to those not indicated by a keyword, but instead described explicitly in their card text. Such effects are usually - but not always - denoted when in play by a small lightning bolt icon, a flask with venom (Poisonous), or a broken heart (Lifesteal) at the bottom of the card's portrait or icon, and can usually be activated any number of times, but only while in play. Any ability that states "at the end of your turn" or "at the start of your turn" is a triggered effect, as are most that state "when" or "whenever".

Notes[]

Main article: Advanced rulebook

The interactions and timing of multiple triggered effects are some of the most complex rules in the game. This section is only a summary:

  • When multiple triggered effects activate at once, such as at the end of a player's turn, the effects will activate in the order in which the minions were summoned, with the minions summoned first activating their triggered effects first. Any deaths resulting from the triggers then resolve at once, followed by consequences from those deaths. However, there are exceptions to this rule.
  • Triggered effects which trigger from playing cards or casting spells may take place before or after the card takes effect, depending on the trigger. For example, activating LegacyLeader of the Pack with a LegacyViolet Teacher active will cause her to summon a fresh LegacyViolet Apprentice, who will then benefit from the Leader of the Pack buff,[1] while playing LegacyInner Rage on a 3/1 LegacyWild Pyromancer will destroy the minion before it can activate its effect.
  • For notes on individual types of triggered effects, see the appropriate sections.

Advanced[]

  • Triggered effects require the card not to have been destroyed. However, the game only checks to destroy minions with 0 or negative Health when an event phase ends. This means that a minion can be triggered during the same phase in which it is destroyed, regardless of the order in which the events take place. For example, if three enemy Goblins vs GnomesExplosive Sheep are killed by your LegacyFlamestrike while you have an LegacyAcolyte of Pain on the board, the Acolyte will trigger three times (despite his Health reaching 0 after the first Exploding Sheep's Deathrattle) since he cannot completely die while the Sheep Deathrattles are still being handled. Once all simultaneous effects have resolved, the game will then check for any minions at 0 or lower Health, notice the Acolyte and destroy it. Conversely, LegacyCult Master cannot trigger from the death of a friendly minion killed at the same time as the Cult Master itself, since by the time the game checks for triggers from the deaths, the Cult Master has also been destroyed.

Cards[]

For Wild format listings, see Triggered effect/Wild format

Below are listed all cards in Standard which possess or grant triggered effects, divided by the type of trigger. Some sections below will also list Wild cards due to no example minions existing in Standard currently.

Using Hero Powers[]

Most effects which are triggered by using Hero Powers are denoted by the Inspire keyword. For more details on that effect, see Inspire. Certain other triggered effects are not marked as Inspire effects, but are activated by the use of Hero Powers.


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ETC 312
CORE DRG 256

Card-playing[]

Card-playing triggered effects only activate when a card of the correct type is played directly from the hand. Cards brought into play through summon or put into battlefield effects will not activate these effects.

Card-playing triggered effects activate immediately after the card is played, before it takes effect.

Any card type[]


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MAW 023
MAW 010
RLK 210
RLK 822
ETC 422
ETC 518
REV 011
ETC 405
ETC 388

Spell-casting[]

Whenever[]

'When' and 'Whenever' effects trigger from the attempt to cast the spell, before any of the spell's effects apply:


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TSC 032t2
CORE LOOT 231
CORE EX1 287
TSC 032
ETC 832
RLK 677
CORE EX1 095
RLK 604t
After[]

'After' effects trigger from the spell fully resolving:


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TSC 657
TTN 317
TSC 641ta
RLK 609
TSC 827
ETC 833
CORE KAR 004
ETC 521
RLK 083
TSC 074
TSC 073
REV 827
CORE NEW1 020
TSC 641tc
TSC 218
TID 098
REV 250
TSC 635
NX2 002
TTN 801
TTN 801t
ETC 540
TSC 620
TID 709
REV 314
ETC 395

Playing a minion from the hand[]

These effects trigger only when the minion is played directly from the hand. For effects which trigger from any form of minion summoning, see Minion summoning, below.

That minion[]

Effects which activate when the minion itself is played from the hand are denoted by specific keywords. All of these abilities cause a special effect to activate when the minion is played from the hand, although some require certain conditions to be met.

The list of such minions is too extensive to list here - see individual pages for complete lists:


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ETC 367
TSC 032t
RLK 823
TTN 732
REV 828
NX2 013
CORE LOOT 101
RLK 970
TTN 920
MAW 006
TSC 032
TSC 620
TTN 752

Spending Mana[]

These effects are activated when a certain amount of mana is spent.


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JAM 037t
REV 825

Minion summoning[]

Minion summoning triggered effects may activate at various points during the summoning sequence of events. They may occur before auras are applied to the minion; after auras are applied to the minion, but before any Battlecries are activated; after Battlecries have taken place, but before the minion summoning has resolved; or once the minion summoning has resolved. In some cases they may sometimes activate later in the summoning process, if they did not activate at the proper point.

Note that these effects are triggered by any eligible minion being summoned, even if they are not played from the hand, such as through Summon or put into battlefield effects. Hero powers, Deathrattles, Battlecries and Secrets can all trigger these effects. If the summoned minion has a Battlecry, this will take place prior to the activation of any triggered effects or Secrets.[2]

Whenever you summon[]


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CORE EX1 509

After you summon[]


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RLK 824
TSC 638t3
TSC 638t2
TSC 638t4
TSC 638t
TSC 638
TSC 922
RLK 924
TTN 479
TTN 078
TSC 928
ETC 317
TSC 054
CORE DMF 240

Attacking[]

Attacking triggered effects activate before the intended combat actually takes place, although those based on surviving an attack do not trigger until afterwards. For triggers which activate when attacking and killing a minion, see Attacking and killing.

Hero attacks[]


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TTN 092t2
TTN 092t1
CORE BT 351
RLK 516
NX2 006
TTN 736
REV 917
JAM 015t3
TID 704
TSC 085
TSC 070
CORE GIL 534
NX2 028
REV 933t
REV 933
RLK 827
REV 509
TSC 002
RLK 012
TSC 913t
TTN 467
JAM 019
TTN 725
CORE CS2 097
RLK 828
JAM 011
REV 316t
CS3 020

Minion attacks[]


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TTN 079
TTN 812
CORE EX1 611
TTN 471
RLK 117
TTN 852
TTN 921
TTN 733
TSC 030t2
REV 516
TTN 908
ETC 399
REV 352t
TSC 057t
CS3 025
MAW 009t
MAW 009
RLK 220
JAM 004
REV 316
TSC 030
TTN 727
TSC 029
TTN 330
ETC 419
RLK 913
ETC 840
TID 712

Any attack[]


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TTN 504
CORE EX1 610
CORE LOOT 079
CORE EX1 289
TTN 711

Character damage[]

Damage-triggered effects activate immediately after damage is received, but before any deaths are resolved. On-damage triggers that cause healing can prevent a fatally damaged character from dying, as the game will not check for deaths until the end of the current phase is reached, and all simultaneous effects have been resolved.

Taking minion damage[]

This minion[]

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TID 713
CORE EX1 007
CORE BRM 006
RLK 212
Friendly minions[]

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REV 332
TTN 858
Another minion[]

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REV 506
Any minion[]

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CORE EX1 604
ETC 534
Losing Divine Shield[]

Although these are not strictly damage-triggered effects, they activate whenever a Divine Shield is removed, which is often done by damage.


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ETC 324

Taking hero damage[]


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MAW 001
ETC 084
REV 504

Dealing damage[]

Various effects activate in response to dealing damage, either by the minion or by the player. Poisonous and Lifesteal are types of damage-related triggered effects that use an unique icon in place of the usual lightning bolt icon.

Dealing damage - triggered effect[]


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NX2 037t
NX2 037t2
TTN 077
TTN 466

Changing Health[]

These effects activate whenever a character's health changes, whether that be by incrementing health, taking damage, or being healed.


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ETC 423

Minion death[]

Death-triggered effects activate only after the death has fully resolved, and the minion or weapon removed from play. All types of death-triggered effects, including Deathrattles, triggered effects and Secrets are queued together from oldest to newest played, with no special priority.

That minion[]

Effects which trigger from the death of the minion itself are Deathrattles - see that page for details.

Another minion[]


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RLK 538
CORE LOOT 204
TSC 929
MAW 019
RLK 572
TSC 056
RLK 121
REV 916
CORE BT 355
TSC 639

Attacking and killing[]


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TTN 079
TTN 733
RLK 012
TTN 467
RLK 913

End of turn[]

Most end of turn effects activate at the end of the controlling player's turn, but some activate at the end of the current turn, or at the end of each turn.

The game only queues end of turn triggers once, at the start of the end of turn phase. For example, if during the end of turn phase NaxxramasKel'Thuzad resurrects a minion which has an end of turn triggered effect, that effect will not be activated that turn, since the minion was not in play when the end of turn phase started.

End of your turn[]

These effects activate at the end of the turns belonging to the controlling player.


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JAM 037t
JAM 001
HERO 11bpt
NEW1 009
REV 839
CS2 058
JAM 015t4
RLK 061
TSC 216t
TTN 742
REV 016
JAM 015t3
TTN 833
JAM 010
JAM 015t2
JAM 015t
TID 000
ETC 105
TID 707
TSC 219t2
TSC 219t
TSC 219t3
TSC 219t4
JAM 012t3
RLK 926
JAM 012t2
JAM 033t
JAM 000t
CORE DMF 709
JAM 012t4
JAM 012t
ETC 335
JAM 000t2
JAM 000t3
JAM 000t4
JAM 033t4
REV 935
REV 935t
TSC 633
JAM 033t3
JAM 033t2
RLK 571
TTN 907
REV 513
RLK 745
ETC 111
REV 247
JAM 018t
RLK 730
RLK 607
JAM 018t3
TTN 730t
TTN 730
JAM 018t2
JAM 018t4
CORE ULD 258
TTN 856
RLK 720
RLK 706
CORE EX1 249
CORE DAL 721
RLK 539
TTN 866
CORE EX1 298
TTN 960t

End of your opponent's turn[]

These effects activate at the end of the turns belonging to the opposing player.


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JAM 003
CORE SCH 706

End of each turn[]

These effects activate at the end of each turn, whether belonging to the controlling player or their opponent.


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CS3 032

End of the turn[]

These effects activate at the end of the turn after they are put into play. This is largely the same as effects that activate at the end of each turn, but only happens once.


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ETC 206
MAW 002

Start of turn[]

Start of turn effects take effect at the very start of the turn, before any cards have been drawn. Almost all take place only on the controlling player's turn, but some happen at the start of each turn, or the start of the opponent's turn.

Start of your turn[]

These effects activate at the start of the turns belonging to the controlling player.


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DREAM 05
TTN 920t6
TTN 486
TSC 647
TSC 955t
RLK 656
ETC 717t
ETC 379t
CORE NEW1 021
TSC 929
ETC 717
ETC 379
MAW 018
ETC 427t
ETC 427
TSC 013
TTN 923
ETC 387b
ETC 387c
ETC 387
TTN 741
ETC 506t
TSC 007
ETC 506
ETC 314t
ETC 314
TSC 219
NX2 033

Start of your opponent's turn[]

These effects activate at the start of the opponent's turn.


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REV 000
REV 002
NX2 044
REV 006

Start of each turn[]

These effects activate at the start of each turn, whether belonging to the controlling player or their opponent.


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MAW 024
ETC 089

Drawing a card[]

Effects that activate when the card itself is drawn are known as on-draw effects.


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MAW 005t
TTN 450t
TTN 450t3
RLK 039t
TTN 450t2
TTN 715
TSC 912t

Drawing another card[]


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TTN 840
REV 960
TTN 731
TTN 843
TTN 850
TTN 842

Adding a card to your hand[]

These effects activate when a card is added to your hand through any means.


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RLK 570t3
RLK 570t2
RLK 570t5
RLK 570t4
REV 377
RLK 570t1

Discarding a card[]

Effects that activate when the card itself is discarded are known as on-discard effects.


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REV 239
RLK 532
RLK 534

Awakening[]

These effects activate when the minion is no longer Dormant.


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REV 360t2

Revealing a Secret[]


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REV 829
REV 515

Equipping a weapon[]


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CORE AT 029

Destroying a weapon[]


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ETC 400

Gaining Armor[]


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ETC 355
ETC 520
TTN 811

Overloading Mana Crystals[]


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ETC 813

Transforming a minion[]


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REV 925

Patch changes[]

  • Scholomance Academy logoPatch 18.0.0.54613 (2020-07-30): One-time triggered effect icon added.
  • Hearthstone logo Patch 1.0.0.4944 (Open beta, 2014-03-11): Minions that have been blessed by Blessing of Wisdom now show the trigger “lightning bolt”. Talk about a bright idea!

References[]

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