What is the Solved mechanic in Magic: The Gathering?

Solved is a keyword ability that appears exclusively on Case cards, introduced in Murders at Karlov Manor (2024). When a Case's specific condition is met, it becomes "solved" and its Solved ability activates. Depending on the ability type, this is either a continuous static effect, a triggered ability that can now fire, or an activated ability you can now use.

What are Case cards in MTG?

Cases are a subtype of Enchantment introduced in Murders at Karlov Manor. Each Case has three parts: an effect when it enters the battlefield, a condition for becoming solved, and a Solved ability that activates once that condition is met. They're flavoured around the murder mystery theme of the set.

Does a Case stay solved if the condition is no longer met?

It depends on how the solving condition is written on the specific card. Some conditions are checked once and then the Case stays solved; others may be ongoing. Read the individual Case card carefully — the condition text tells you exactly how and when the game evaluates whether it's met.

Can a Solved ability be countered or responded to?

That depends on the type of ability. Static Solved abilities don't use the stack and can't be countered. Triggered Solved abilities go on the stack when they trigger and can be responded to. Activated Solved abilities also go on the stack when activated. The standard rules for each ability type apply — Solved just determines whether the ability is accessible at all.

Is Solved only on Case cards?

Yes. Solved is a keyword ability defined specifically in relation to Case cards and has no meaning outside of that card type. If you see "Solved" on a card, you're looking at a Case Enchantment.

Solved: The MTG Case Card Mechanic Explained

Q: What formats are Case cards legal in?

Case cards were introduced in Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM), released February 2024, so they're legal in Standard, Pioneer, and Modern as of that set's release. Always check current format legality, as Standard rotates and banlists change.

Some Magic cards reward patience. Solved is a keyword ability tied exclusively to a card type introduced in Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM): the Case. The idea is simple and flavourful - you're an investigator working a case, and once you've met certain conditions, the case is "solved" and you unlock a more powerful ongoing ability. It's one of those mechanics that feels immediately intuitive once you see it in play.

What is Solved?

Solved is a keyword ability that appears on Case cards. A Case is a subtype of Enchantment, and every Case follows the same basic structure: it does something when it enters the battlefield, it has a condition that must be met to become "solved", and once solved, it grants a more powerful ability.

The Solved ability is what you get when the case is cracked. Until the condition is met, the solved ability simply doesn't function - it sits there waiting, like a locked door.

The three different forms Solved can take correspond to three different ability types:

Static ability: "As long as this Case is solved, [ability text]." The effect is continuous while the Case remains solved.
Triggered ability: "[Ability text]. This ability triggers only if this Case is solved." The trigger watches for its event, but only fires when the case is in the solved state.
Activated ability: "[Ability text]. Activate only if this Case is solved." You can only pay the activation cost when the case is solved.

Think of it like a locked bonus track on an album - the music is written, but you only hear it once you've done something to earn access.

Rules

The official rules for Solved live in two places: rule 702.169 covers it as a keyword ability, and rule 719 covers Case cards as a broader card type. Here's how the rules break it down:

"If a Case has the solved designation, 'Solved - [Ability text]' is an ability that may affect the game if it's a static ability, it may trigger if it's a triggered ability, and it can be activated if it's an activated ability." - CR 719

How each ability type works

| Ability Type | What Solved Does | |---|---| | Static | Active continuously as long as the Case is solved | | Triggered | Watches for its trigger event, but only triggers while solved | | Activated | Can only be activated while the Case is in the solved state |

Common rules questions

What does it mean for a Case to be "solved"? Each Case card defines its own condition for becoming solved - this is printed on the card itself. The Case transitions to a solved state when that condition is met.

Can a Case become "unsolved"? This depends on the specific condition. If the condition is a threshold (like "you've cast three spells this turn"), it may only be checked at specific times. Read each Case carefully - the condition text tells you exactly when the game checks whether it's been met.

Rules note: Solved is only relevant to Case cards. You won't find this keyword on any other permanent type. If you see "Solved" on a card, you're looking at a Case.

Does the Solved ability use the stack? That depends on whether it's a triggered or activated ability. Static abilities don't use the stack. Triggered abilities go on the stack when they trigger. Activated abilities go on the stack when activated. The usual rules for each ability type apply - Solved doesn't change that, it just gatekeeps when they're accessible.

Strategy

Playing with and against Solved mechanics rewards players who think a turn or two ahead. Here's how to approach it from both sides of the table.

Playing with Case cards

Build your deck to meet the condition reliably. Each Case has its own unique solving condition, so your deck construction should treat that condition like a soft requirement. If a Case asks you to have a certain number of creatures in play, for example, you want to make sure your deck can consistently hit that threshold.

Cases do something on entry and when solved - this double-layered value is the core appeal. Even if your opponent removes a Case before you solve it, you've often already gotten some value from the enters-the-battlefield effect. Don't feel like a Case is "wasted" just because it got destroyed before the condition was met.

Timing matters for triggered Solved abilities. If the Solved ability triggers on a specific event (a creature attacking, a spell being cast), and you're close to solving the case, it can be worth sequencing your plays to ensure the Case is solved before that trigger event happens in a given turn.

Playing against Case cards

Disrupt the condition, not just the card. If your opponent needs three creatures in play to solve their Case, removing one of those creatures before they hit the threshold is often more efficient than trying to destroy the Case itself - particularly if the Case has already provided its entry effect.

Enchantment removal is your friend. Once a Case is solved, the Solved ability can generate continuous or recurring value that's hard to race. Dealing with the Case directly - particularly before or immediately after it's solved - cuts off that engine cleanly.

Format check: Cases were introduced in MKM (2024), so they're legal in Standard, Pioneer, and Modern as of that set's release. Always check the current legality for your format.

Deck-building considerations

In Commander, Cases reward dedicated build-arounds - you have 99 cards to sculpt the exact conditions you need. In faster formats like Standard, the question is whether the solving condition is achievable within a reasonable timeframe without warping your game plan around it. Cases that solve themselves almost incidentally - where the condition is something you'd be doing anyway - tend to be the most competitively interesting.

Notable cards

Because Solved is tied exclusively to Case cards, which debuted in MKM, the card pool is specific to that set and its associated products. The notable Cases are those where the solved ability generates enough ongoing value to justify building around the condition.

The general pattern worth understanding: Cases that have low-friction solving conditions and high-impact Solved abilities are the ones that reward close reading. A Case that asks you to do something you'd naturally do (attack with a creature, draw a card, play a land) while offering a powerful static or triggered reward when solved is going to pull a lot of weight.

When evaluating any Case you haven't seen before, ask three questions:

What do I get immediately (the entry effect)?
How hard is the solving condition to meet in my deck?
How strong is the Solved ability if I get there?

If the answers are "something useful", "pretty naturally", and "very", you've found a Case worth building around.

History

Solved debuted as part of the Case card type in Murders at Karlov Manor, released in February 2024. The set's entire creative premise was a murder mystery on the plane of Ravnica, with players cast as investigators piecing together a crime. Case cards - and the Solved mechanic - were designed directly to express that fantasy in game terms.

It's a clean example of Wizards of the Coast designing mechanics to serve the story. The "solve a case" structure isn't a mechanical innovation for its own sake; it's flavour given rules text. The two-stage design (entry effect, then a stronger solved state) mirrors the experience of an investigation: you gather initial clues, and eventually the full picture snaps into focus.

As of writing, Solved remains exclusive to MKM and its associated products. Whether the mechanic returns in future sets will likely depend on whether Magic revisits a mystery or investigation-themed setting - though the clean rules structure means it wouldn't be hard to adapt to other flavour contexts if Wizards chose to.