Goad
Keyword actions
Force a creature to attack — and to attack somebody other than you.
How it works
When you goad a creature, it must attack each combat if able, and it must attack a player other than you if able. It stays goaded until your next turn, which means it is still goaded through every other player's turn in between.
Goad is the format's signature political tool, and it is not a Threaten effect: you never gain control of the creature, you only point it somewhere else. Being goaded isn't an ability the creature has either — if it somehow loses all its abilities, it is still goaded.
Common confusions
“The goaded creature attacked me anyway.”
It has to attack someone other than the goader only *if able*. If you are the only player it can legally attack, it attacks you. If several opponents have goaded it, it must satisfy as many of those requirements at once as it can.
“Does goad make them pay to attack?”
No. A player is never forced to pay a cost to attack, so against a Propaganda or a Ghostly Prison the creature simply doesn't attack.
“It's tapped, or it just arrived.”
Then it doesn't attack, and nothing has gone wrong. A goaded creature that is tapped, is told it can't attack, or hasn't been under its controller's control since the turn began (and lacks haste) is excused.
“It attacked — is the goad used up?”
No. Attacking doesn't stop a creature being goaded. If there's an extra combat phase that turn, it must attack again.
“Can I goad something and then block it?”
Yes. Goad says nothing about blocking and doesn't stop you defending yourself. Goading a creature after blockers are declared won't pull it out of combat either.
“There's nobody it can attack.”
If it can't attack any legal player but could otherwise attack, it must attack a planeswalker an opponent controls. Creatures that arrive after the goad effect resolved aren't goaded at all.
Cards that goad
Ranked by how often Commander decks actually play them.
Build with it — free account
Mauldron reads a Commander decklist back to you: what it's trying to do, where the mana is thin, and which cards to swap. Free, and you can try it without an account.