<p>You were correct in the assumption that the tracking of casting cost is not a counter, but a separate attribute of the game.</p>

<p>The <a href="http://www.dragonhighlander.net/rules.php">official EDH rules</a> state:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>While a Commander is in the command zone, it may be cast. As an additional cost to cast a Commander from the command zone, its owner must pay {2} for each time it was previously cast from the command zone. (ie: it costs 6WW to cast for the third time.)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The Magic comprehensive rules state:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>903.10. A player may cast a commander he or she owns from the command zone. Doing so costs that player an additional {2} for each previous time he or she cast that commander from the command zone that game.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Neither of these refer to "counters" at all - it's a static "every time you play this again, it costs {2} more."</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-03T20:12:17.227Z
It's important to note that being a commander is an attribute of the physical card (903.3). It is not related to the object that card represents (the creature/planewalker). An object changing zone becomes a new object (400.7) and usually looses all of it's previous attributes. But this doesn't apply to attributes of the *card*. The card is and remains the Commander no matter what zones it gets shuffled through. This is the same reason why copies of a commander do not deal commander damage. Those copies are not represented by a commander designated card.
François Andrieux
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-03T20:12:50.113Z
...and why a commander that becomes a copy of another creature (or morphs, or otherwise changes) still deals commander damage.
François Andrieux
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-16T12:57:20.503Z
2011-09-16T12:57:20.503Z
Ian Pugsley
<blockquote>
  <p>11) While a Commander is in the command zone, it may be cast. As an additional cost to cast a Commander from the command zone, its owner must pay {2} for each time it was previously cast from the command zone. (ie: it costs 6WW to cast for the third time.)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In a game last night someone tried to allow their commander to go to the graveyard as a method of resetting the casting penalty from the command zone.  While I agreed that the general could be brought back from the graveyard through normal means and cast without the penalty, I disagreed that allowing the general to go to the graveyard reset the counter in the command zone.</p>

<p>His argument was that it's in the graveyard, counters on a creature go away.  I argued the counter is not on the general at all, but rather is part of the state of the game/command zone.</p>

<p>Who was correct?</p>

<magic-the-gathering><mtg-commander>
When a general goes to the graveyard in EDH, does his casting counter reset in the command zone?
Stephen
# When a general goes to the graveyard in EDH, does his casting counter reset in the command zone?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2011-09-16)

> 11) While a Commander is in the command zone, it may be cast. As an additional cost to cast a Commander from the command zone, its owner must pay {2} for each time it was previously cast from the command zone. (ie: it costs 6WW to cast for the third time.)

In a game last night someone tried to allow their commander to go to the graveyard as a method of resetting the casting penalty from the command zone. While I agreed that the general could be brought back from the graveyard through normal means and cast without the penalty, I disagreed that allowing the general to go to the graveyard reset the counter in the command zone.

His argument was that it's in the graveyard, counters on a creature go away. I argued the counter is not on the general at all, but rather is part of the state of the game/command zone.

Who was correct?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering, mtg-commander


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2011-09-16. Score: 10 | Accepted answer

You were correct in the assumption that the tracking of casting cost is not a counter, but a separate attribute of the game.

The [official EDH rules](http://www.dragonhighlander.net/rules.php) state:

> While a Commander is in the command zone, it may be cast. As an additional cost to cast a Commander from the command zone, its owner must pay {2} for each time it was previously cast from the command zone. (ie: it costs 6WW to cast for the third time.)

The Magic comprehensive rules state:

> 903.10. A player may cast a commander he or she owns from the command zone. Doing so costs that player an additional {2} for each previous time he or she cast that commander from the command zone that game.

Neither of these refer to "counters" at all - it's a static "every time you play this again, it costs {2} more."

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: It's important to note that being a commander is an attribute of the physical card (903.3). It is not related to the object that card represents (the creature/planewalker). An object changing zone becomes a new object (400.7) and usually looses all of it's previous attributes. But this doesn't apply to attributes of the *card*. The card is and remains the Commander no matter what zones it gets shuffled through. This is the same reason why copies of a commander do not deal commander damage. Those copies are not represented by a commander designated card.  
> **username_2**: ...and why a commander that becomes a copy of another creature (or morphs, or otherwise changes) still deals commander damage.  

---

