Will of the Council in MTG: Rules, History, and Best Cards

Magister of Worth | Illustration by John Stanko

Magic has mainly been designed as a one-on-one game, but sometimes cards and mechanics come along that work best in a multiplayer setting. We’ve seen the initiative, monarch, and myriad, all mechanics that encourage you to engage in combat, but some mechanics take a different approach: voting.

Voting mechanics take different approaches to how voting matters and how they pay you out, but today, we’re looking at the original: will of the council. Which of its cards should you still play, and how does it differ from similar abilities like council’s dilemma? I’ve got the breakdown.

How Does Will of the Council Work?

Coercive Portal | Illustration by Yeong Hao Han

Will of the council is an ability word for a voting mechanic. As a spell or ability with will of the council resolves, each player starting with you votes for either a binary option or an eligible card or permanent, depending on the ability. Then the ability resolves in accordance with the end result of the vote.

For example, Magister of Worth has will of the council as part of its enters trigger. You and your opponents must choose between grace, a mass reanimation ability, or condemnation, a sweeper that leaves behind only the Magister and indestructible creatures. The sweeper is also the mode you get when there’s a tie.

For Council's Judgment, players vote for nonland permanents you don’t control, and you exile the one with the most votes, or everything tied for the most.

The History of Will of the Council

Will of the council was introduced in Conspiracy, a multiplayer-focused Draft set. Conspiracy is set on Fiora, a plane with a ruling class whose laws bind everyone in a magical or mystical kind of way.

In 2023, will of the council returned as part of the voting package in the Elven Council precon from Tales of Middle-earth. A few of the original will of the council cards have been reprinted in Secret Lairs and Commander products from time to time, but no new cards have been printed since Lord of the Rings Commander.

In Which Direction Does Voting Happen?

Voting always happens in turn order, regardless of the specific ability that tells you to start a vote. Each will of the council card as of Secrets of Strixhaven instructs you to start the voting yourself, so you, the controller of the spell or ability, vote first, followed by everyone else in turn order.

What Happens if There’s a Tie Vote?

Most binary will of the council cards have a default mode in case of a tie. For example, Bite of the Black Rose forces your opponents to discard two cards in the event of a tie.

Nonbinary cards like Council's Judgment or Custodi Squire can still impact each chosen card or permanent. Council’s Judgment could exile one, two, or four permanents when there are four players at the table.

Do Players Get Priority While Voting?

No, not while voting. Players get priority after you cast a voting spell, after you activate a voting ability, or after it triggers. The voting itself doesn’t happen until the moment that the spell or ability resolves, and you can’t interact with a spell or ability while it is mid-resolution.

Will of the Council vs. Council’s Dilemma

Will of the council and council’s dilemma are similar voting mechanics that were introduced in Conspiracy and its sequel Conspiracy: Take the Crown. The main difference between the two is that the end result of the vote matters for will of the council, while each individual vote matters for council’s dilemma. Will of the council only pays out for the mode with the most votes or the one designated as its default mode, while council’s dilemma pays you out based on the vote distribution.

Both abilities work with voting payoffs like Ballot Broker, Brago's Representative, Erestor of the Council, Grudge Keeper, Illusion of Choice, Model of Unity, and The Valeyard.

Can You Play Will of the Council Cards in 1v1?

You can, but they aren’t particularly good because you’re more likely to get the tied result. You can find better ways to make your opponent discard two cards in 1v1 than Bite of the Black Rose, for example. Pretty much the only will of the council card to see consistent 1v1 play is Council's Judgment, a Cube staple.

If you insist on playing will of the council cards in 1v1, you can rig the voting with cards like Illusion of Choice and Brago's Representative.

Does Council’s Judgment Get Around Hexproof?

Yes! Hexproof only cares about spells and abilities that target the hexproof permanent or player, and Council's Judgment doesn’t target anything or anybody.

Gallery and List of Will of the Council Cards

• Bite of the Black Rose
• Coercive Portal
• Council Guardian
• Council's Judgment
• Custodi Squire
• Galadriel, Elven-Queen
• Magister of Worth
• Plea for Power
• Magister of Worth
• Plea for Power
• Sail into the West
• Split Decision
• Tyrant's Choice

Best Will of the Council Cards

#5. Coercive Portal

Coercive Portal is another source of card draw; it’s basically a colorless, 4-mana Phyrexian Arena without the life loss. The sweeper mode is a good rattlesnake when you can manipulate voting results, but it’s not that much of a problem with enough Naturalize or Vandalblast variants around.

It's one of the only voting cards to see Constructed play, since the tie vote always results in an extra draw, and the board wipe is only an option if you want it to be.

#4. Galadriel, Elven-Queen

The only commander with a will of the council ability was also the face of the Elven Council precon from Tales of Middle-earth. Permanents with voting mechanics are naturally more repeatable than instants or sorceries, and Galadriel, Elven-Queen has a low-end of an extra card each turn and a top-end of a Ring tempts you trigger and a +1/+1 counter on your Ring-bearer, which improves the unblockable ability your Ring-bearer gains.

#3. Split Decision

Personal opinion? Split Decision is only good when you can manipulate the result in your favor. It’s a counterspell or a copy spell, which are two very, very different outcomes. But if you have cards that give you two votes? Oh, the things you could copy, including other voting spells.

#2. Plea for Power

Plea for Power is a staple of decks that play many voting cards and use payoffs to manipulate the results. It’s either three cards for 4 mana or an extra turn spell; one that doesn’t exile itself.

#1. Council’s Judgment

Council's Judgment is great even when it removes just one permanent. It doesn’t target, so you can get rid of permanents with most forms of protection; the only way to save a permanent from it is to bounce it or phase it out before this sorcery resolves.

Wrap Up

Plea for Power | Illustration by John Severin Brassel

Voting mechanics bring a fun twist and some variety to multiplayer environments. Will of the council was among the first voting mechanics and more recent iterations have been stronger, but it’s a good tool to mix in with secret council and council’s dilemma cards.

I’d expect we probably won’t see will of the council or other voting mechanics much outside of Commander precons unless we return to Fiora or visit another IP with a lot of political intrigue. Littlefinger from A Song of Ice and Fire and anyone playing the Game of Thrones is my first thought, but what about you? Which in-universe and Universes Beyond settings do you think will bring us more voting cards? Let me know in the comments below or on the Draftsim Discord. For more from Draftsim, find us on YouTube at The Daily Upkeep.

Until next time, make sure you’re registered to vote!