While most cards work pretty straightforward in 2HG there are some quirks, often involving the combat phase or life total changes. Those cards are explained in these notes.

If you’re playing a 2HG prerelease you should also check out the 2HG Hidden Gems that highlights which cards to look out for! The Release Notes for Amonkhet can be found here.

For further reading, if you want to know more about 2HG see the 2HG FAQ. If you want to know more about how these cards function in general see the regular release notes.

GENERAL NOTES

AFFLICT

You choose one defending player who loses the life from the Afflict trigger. The opponents do not lose double the amount.

“YOU”

The rule of thumb for 2HG is “You” still refers to you alone, not both you and your teammate. Look for the word “you” in the card text, such as “creatures you control get +1/+1”, “lands you control don’t untap”, etc.

“EACH”

Cards that say “each opponent” or “each player” do affect more players than usual.

“Each opponent X and you Y”

Obelisk Spider | Resolute Survivors | The Scarab God

Your opponents lose double the amount but you don’t gain double. For example with Obelisk Spider your opponents lose 2 in total but you still gain 1 in total. With The Scarab God, if you have 3 zombies, your opponents lose 6 in total but you only scry 3 once.

COMBAT NOTES

Dreamstealer | Driven (to) Despair

You deal combat damage to one opponent of your choice, not to both opponents, so one opponent discards.

You choose who you deal damage to, and thus who discards, in the Combat Damage step. This choice has not been made yet when the opponents decide their blocks.

Saving Grace

Since you can choose which head to deal combat damage to, your opponents can simply choose to deal all damage from unblocked attackers to your teammate.

Keep in mind that this can’t enchant your teammate’s creatures.

LIFE NOTES

Crested Sunmare

Your teammate gaining life does not count as you gaining life. This only triggers if you gained life.

Neheb, the Eternal

This does not count double in 2HG. If the opposing team lost 5 life in total, you get 5 mana. When one player loses life that does not count as the teammate losing life as well.

Oketra’s Last Mercy

This will set the team’s life total to the team’s starting life total (usually 30)

This counts for you as gaining life, but not for your teammate.

OTHER CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES

Appeal (to) Authority

You can target your teammate’s creature with Appeal but it will still count your own creatures.

Torment of Hailfire

Both opponents need to sacrifice, discard or lose life X times. They can do different things, they don’t have to choose the same option as each other.

Without Weakness

Keep in mind this can’t target your teammate’s creatures. Unlike most tricks this only targets creatures you control.