A goaded creature must attack each combat if it can, and must attack a player other than the one who goaded it if it can. Most goad effects last until that player's next turn. A tapped creature, or one under a "can't attack" effect, simply doesn't attack. Mana Grove, a free MTG deck builder for Commander, publishes this guide to goad and reads every card in it from its own card database.
This guide is part of our MTG keywords and mechanics glossary, the index of every mechanic guide on Mana Grove.
How goad actually works
Two requirements, both "if able"
Goaded is a designation a creature carries (701.15b), and it imposes two requirements on its controller's attack declaration:
- the creature attacks each combat if able, and
- it attacks a player other than the one who goaded it if able.
The game enforces requirements when attackers are declared. The attacking player has to obey as many requirements as possible without breaking any restriction (508.1d), which is why "if able" is not a loophole. If the creature can legally attack, it must.
How long it lasts
A creature goaded by a spell or ability stays goaded "until the next turn of the controller of that spell or ability" (701.15a). In a four-player game that covers one turn for each other player, including the next turn of the creature's own controller, and it ends as the goading player's next turn begins.
Some cards goad for as long as they stay around instead. Shiny Impetus reads "Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and is goaded", and Bloodthirsty Blade says the equipped creature "is goaded" too. There the designation lasts as long as the Aura or Equipment stays attached, and the player the creature has to avoid is the controller of that Aura or Equipment (701.15b). The ruling in our card data on Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer makes the contrast explicit: its ability "doesn't cause a creature to be goaded until your next turn. Rather, it causes it to be goaded for as long as Baeloth Barrityl is on battlefield, has the ability, and has sufficient power."
It is a designation, not an ability
Rule 701.15b ends: "Goaded is neither an ability nor part of the permanent's copiable values." Two consequences follow. An effect that removes all abilities, such as Darksteel Mutation, does not remove goaded, and the rulings on Disrupt Decorum say so directly: "Once it's been goaded, it must attack as detailed above even if it loses all abilities." And a copy of a goaded creature is not goaded.
Why it works: attacking taps the creature
Goad does more than send damage elsewhere. Declaring a creature as an attacker taps it (508.1f), unless it has vigilance (702.20b), and a tapped creature cannot block. So a goaded creature attacks on its controller's turn, stays tapped through the turns that follow, and leaves its controller with one blocker fewer. Goading a whole board with Disrupt Decorum opens that player to everyone.
Who a goaded creature has to attack
The rulings on Disrupt Decorum in our card data give the order of preference in full. If the creature can attack, "it must attack a player other than the controller of the spell or ability that goaded it if able. If the creature can't attack any of those players but could otherwise attack, it must attack a planeswalker an opponent controls, a battle an opponent controls, or a player who goaded it." (Under rule 310.9b, the battles it can attack are those an opponent protects.)
| Situation | What the goaded creature does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| One or more players other than the goader can be attacked | It attacks one of them. Its controller chooses which | 701.15b |
| Its controller would rather attack a planeswalker | Not allowed while a player other than the goader can be attacked. The requirement names a player | 701.15b, 508.1d |
| Only the goader can be attacked | It still attacks: the goader, a planeswalker an opponent controls, or a battle an opponent protects (310.9b) | 701.15b, ruling on Disrupt Decorum |
| Goaded by two different players | Each goad is its own requirement. It must attack a player who has not goaded it, as that obeys the most requirements | 701.15c, 508.1d |
| Goaded by every opponent | It must attack a player rather than a planeswalker or battle, and its controller chooses which opponent | Ruling on Disrupt Decorum |
| Goaded twice by the same player | Nothing changes. The second goad adds no requirement | 701.15d |
The controller of the goaded creature never loses the choice entirely. Among the players the creature is allowed to attack, they pick, and that choice is where the table politics start.
The rule, line by line
Rule 701.15a
Certain spells and abilities can goad a creature. Until the next turn of the controller of that spell or ability, that creature is goaded.
Rule 701.15b
Goaded is a designation a permanent can have. A goaded creature attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than the controller of the permanent, spell, or ability that caused it to be goaded if able. Goaded is neither an ability nor part of the permanent's copiable values.
Rule 701.15c
A creature can be goaded by multiple players. Doing so creates additional combat requirements.
Rule 701.15d
Once a player has goaded a creature, the same player goading it again has no effect. Doing so doesn't create additional combat requirements.
Five pieces of fine print follow from those four lines.
- Goad is a keyword action. It sits in section 701 of the rules with scry, sacrifice and destroy: something a spell or ability does to a creature, not an ability a creature has.
- "Each combat" means each combat. The rulings on Disrupt Decorum: "Attacking with a goaded creature doesn't cause it to stop being goaded. If there is an additional combat phase that turn, or if another player gains control of it before it stops being goaded, it must attack again if able."
- One-shot goads do not catch new arrivals. Disrupt Decorum goads the creatures that are on the battlefield as it resolves. The ruling: "Creatures that enter the battlefield after Disrupt Decorum resolves won't be goaded."
- It follows the creature. If another player gains control of a goaded creature, it is still goaded, and it still has to avoid the player who goaded it.
- If the goading player leaves the game, the goad runs its course. An effect that lasts until a player's next turn "will last until that turn would have begun" when that player has left (800.4m). A goad that comes from an Aura or Equipment ends at once instead, because that player's cards leave the game with them (800.4a).
When a goaded creature does not attack
"If able" has a precise meaning. Restrictions, effects that say a creature can't attack, always win over requirements (508.1c, 508.1d), and the basic rules for declaring an attacker still apply (508.1a).
| Situation | Does it attack? | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| The creature is tapped | No | 508.1a |
| It came under its controller's control this turn and has no haste | No | 508.1a, 302.6 |
| An effect says it can't attack, such as Pacifism | No. A restriction beats a requirement | 508.1c |
| Attacking a player costs mana, as under Ghostly Prison or Propaganda | Its controller is never forced to pay, but the tax is no excuse to stay home while another attack is free | 508.1d |
| Attacking would get the creature killed | Yes. A bad attack is still an attack it is able to make | 508.1d |
A goaded creature's controller can always decline to pay, and the creature then has to make an attack that costs nothing if one exists: a player other than the goader first, and otherwise the goader, a planeswalker an opponent controls or a battle an opponent protects. Only when every possible attack carries a cost can it stay home. That is why Propaganda and Ghostly Prison are so good in the goad deck itself: goaded creatures already have to avoid you, and the tax keeps the ungoaded ones away as well.
Goad in a two-player game
Goad was designed for multiplayer, and in a two-player game it does less. The only player the creature could attack is the one who goaded it, so the second requirement cannot be obeyed. The first still can: the creature has to attack each combat if able, and the only thing left to attack is you, a planeswalker you control or a battle you protect.
So in a two-player game, goad means "this creature must attack me". That is rarely what you want from a four-mana sorcery, though it has uses: it forces a creature that was being held back as a blocker to tap, and it walks a small creature into your larger blockers. Two-player Commander games work the same way.
The best goad cards in Commander
Our card database holds 80 Commander-legal cards that goad (31 red, 25 multicolour, ten blue, six black, four white, three colourless and one green), 50 of them creatures. Two more name goad in their rules text without carrying the keyword in our data. These are fourteen of the goad cards Commander players run most, ordered by how often they appear in Commander decks, with the mana cost as printed.
| Card | Cost | Type | How it goads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disrupt Decorum | {2}{R}{R} | Sorcery | Goads all creatures you don't control, until your next turn |
| Shiny Impetus | {2}{R} | Aura | Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and is goaded, and you create a Treasure whenever it attacks |
| Grenzo, Havoc Raiser | {R}{R} | Legendary Creature | Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, one of his two modes goads target creature that player controls |
| Vengeful Ancestor | {2}{R}{R} | Creature | Goads a target creature whenever it enters or attacks |
| Taunt from the Rampart | {3}{R}{W} | Sorcery | Goads all creatures your opponents control, and they can't block until your next turn |
| Bloodthirsty Blade | {2} | Equipment | Equipped creature gets +2/+0 and is goaded. {1} attaches it to a creature an opponent controls |
| Agitator Ant | {2}{R} | Creature | At your end step, each player may put two +1/+1 counters on a creature they control, and each creature that got them is goaded |
| Ghoulish Impetus | {2}{B} | Aura | Enchanted creature gets +1/+1, has deathtouch and is goaded, and the Aura returns at the next end step after that creature dies |
| Parasitic Impetus | {2}{B} | Aura | Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and is goaded. Whenever it attacks, its controller loses 2 life and you gain 2 |
| Geode Rager | {4}{R}{R} | Creature | Landfall: goads each creature target player controls |
| Bothersome Quasit | {2}{R} | Creature | Goads a creature an opponent controls whenever you cast a noncreature spell, and goaded creatures your opponents control can't block |
| Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant | {3}{B}{R} | Legendary Creature | Whenever you attack a player, taps and goads a creature that player controls. When an opponent attacks another of your opponents, you and that attacker each draw a card and lose 1 life |
| Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer | {4}{R} | Legendary Creature | Creatures your opponents control with power less than his are goaded for as long as that stays true |
| Marisi, Breaker of the Coil | {1}{R}{G}{W} | Legendary Creature | Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, goads each creature that player controls |
The cards fall into three groups, and a goad deck wants some of each. One-shot effects such as Disrupt Decorum and Taunt from the Rampart goad a whole table for one trip round it. The Impetus Auras and Bloodthirsty Blade goad one creature for as long as they stay attached, and they improve it while they do, which is the point: the upgrade is aimed at your other opponents. And the commanders, Karazikar, Marisi, Grenzo and Baeloth, goad again every turn.
Not every effect of this kind is goad. Kardur, Doomscourge makes creatures your opponents control "attack each combat if able and attack a player other than you if able" until your next turn, the same two requirements without the word. Those creatures are not goaded, so cards that count or reward goaded creatures do not see them. The ruling on Kardur notes one more difference: his effect also covers creatures that enter after it resolves.
Frequently asked questions
What does goad do in MTG?
A goaded creature attacks each combat if able, and attacks a player other than the one who goaded it if able (rule 701.15b). Most goad effects last until the goading player's next turn (701.15a).
How long does goad last?
Until the next turn of the player who controlled the spell or ability that goaded the creature (701.15a). Goad that comes from an Aura or Equipment, such as Shiny Impetus or Bloodthirsty Blade, lasts for as long as it stays attached.
Does goad work in 1v1?
It works, but differently. With only two players the creature cannot attack "a player other than" the one who goaded it, so only the first requirement applies: it must attack each combat if able, and the goading player, or a planeswalker or battle on their side, is the only thing to attack.
Can a goaded creature attack a planeswalker?
Only when it cannot attack a player other than the one who goaded it. The requirement is to attack such a player if able (701.15b). The rulings on Disrupt Decorum add that if it cannot, it must attack a planeswalker an opponent controls, a battle an opponent protects (310.9b), or a player who goaded it.
What happens if a creature is goaded by more than one player?
Each player's goad is a separate requirement (701.15c). The creature must attack a player who has not goaded it, because that obeys the most requirements (508.1d). If every opponent has goaded it, it must attack a player and its controller chooses which.
Can a goaded creature block?
Yes, goad says nothing about blocking. In practice a goaded creature without vigilance is tapped from attacking (508.1f) and cannot block until it untaps. Some cards add a blocking restriction of their own: Taunt from the Rampart and Bothersome Quasit both say the goaded creatures can't block.
Do I have to pay Propaganda or Ghostly Prison for a goaded creature?
No. "If a creature can't attack unless a player pays a cost, that player is not required to pay that cost" (508.1d). If the creature can attack another player without a cost, though, it still has to attack.
Does goad go away if the creature loses its abilities?
No. Goaded is a designation, not an ability (701.15b), so an effect that removes all abilities leaves it in place.
Can I goad my own creature?
Yes, when the card lets you. Jeering Homunculus says "you may goad target creature", with no word about who controls it. Your creature then has to attack each combat if able, and it has to attack a player other than you, which it would do anyway.
Does goad affect creatures that enter later?
Not when it comes from a spell or ability that has already resolved. Disrupt Decorum goads only the creatures on the battlefield at that moment. A static ability such as Baeloth Barrityl's applies to every creature that matches it, whenever it arrived.
Does a goaded creature have to attack in an extra combat phase?
Yes. It attacks each combat if able (701.15b), and attacking does not end the goad.
Does a goaded creature have to attack even if it will die?
Yes, if it is able to attack. The rules ask only whether the attack is legal, not whether it is wise (508.1d).
Is goad a keyword ability?
No. Goad is a keyword action, defined in section 701 of the rules (701.15), and goaded is a designation the creature carries. Neither is an ability of the creature.
What happens to goad when the player who goaded leaves the game?
A goad with a duration lasts until that player's next turn would have begun (800.4m). A goad from that player's Aura or Equipment ends when the card leaves the game with its owner (800.4a).
Point their creatures somewhere else
Open your list in the deck builder and count your goad effects by kind: the one-shot spells, the Auras and Equipment that stay, and the repeatable sources. Then check what keeps you alive while the table fights, because goad protects you only from the creatures it touches. Grover can take a brief such as "a goad deck that punishes attacks against me" and suggest a list in plain language, and the Suggestions tab, powered by Tutor, scores each card against the rest of your list. New to the format? Start with the deck builder basics and the turn phases guide, which walks through the combat steps goad acts on.
Create a free Mana Grove account to build with the full deck builder and format legality checks, see plans and pricing for more time with Grover, Scry and Tutor, browse the card database for the printed text of every card named above, and visit the Commander hub for more guides.
Sources
- Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules, effective September 25, 2026: https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules. Read on November 9, 2026. Rule 701.15 (Goad) including 701.15a to 701.15d, rule 302.6 (summoning sickness), rule 310.9b (attacking a battle), rules 508.1a, 508.1c, 508.1d and 508.1f (declaring attackers, restrictions and requirements), rule 702.20b (Vigilance) and rules 800.4a and 800.4m (a player leaving the game) are quoted or paraphrased above.
- Mana Grove card database, MTGJSON build of November 5, 2026: the goad keyword, the Commander legality, the mana cost, the rules text and the official rulings of every card named above, the count of 80 Commander-legal cards that goad (50 creatures; each card name counted once and a double-faced card by its front face), the split by colour, and the count of two Commander-legal cards that name goad in their rules text without having the keyword. Commander play frequency is the deck-inclusion popularity rank carried in the same data.
This article is updated when the Comprehensive Rules change the goad entry or when a set adds a goad card worth listing. The date at the top is the last revision.
