Federation is an ability word in Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek that labels abilities which count the creature types among the non-Borg creatures you control. A Human Scientist and a Human Officer make three types, not four. Borg creatures, and every changeling, add nothing. Four Federation cards are confirmed so far, all in the main set.
Updated October 21, 2026. Wizards has not published the Star Trek release notes yet (checked October 21). They usually land about a week before prerelease, which starts November 6. Until then, any ruling marked "our reading" is SparkMTG's reading of the rules, not an official answer.
Federation key facts
What it is | An ability word. It has no rules meaning of its own (Comprehensive Rules 207.2c). |
What the abilities count | The number of creature types among non-Borg creatures you control |
Set | Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek (TRK), release November 13, 2026 |
Confirmed cards | Captain Jonathan Archer, Hoshi Sato, Exolinguist, Saavik, Stoic Student, Starfleet Academy (Scryfall, Oct 21) |
Colors so far | Green, blue, white, plus a colorless land |
Works against | Assimilate, which turns creatures into Borg |
Biggest trap | Changelings. They are every creature type, Borg included, so they count as zero. |
What does Federation count?
Every Federation ability asks one question: how many different creature types are there among the non-Borg creatures you control right now? Wizards' own example puts Hoshi Sato (a Human Scientist) next to Captain Benjamin Sisko (a Human Officer). That board has three creature types, Human, Scientist and Officer, because Human only counts once (Wizards, "Star Trek mechanics", October 20, 2026).
To count it at the table:
Look only at creatures you control. Opponents' creatures never count.
Skip every creature that is a Borg. A Borg creature adds none of its types, even the non-Borg ones.
List every creature type on what is left, including tokens.
Count each type once, however many creatures share it.
That number is X. What X does depends on the card. Wizards' wording: "Different federation abilities will use this value in different ways, so read each carefully."
Why "ability word" matters: it has no rules meaning
Federation is the label printed in italics in front of the ability, the same family as landfall and morbid. Comprehensive Rules 207.2c says ability words tie together cards with similar functionality but "have no special rules meaning and no individual entries in the Comprehensive Rules." In practice:
The rules text after the label does all the work. Strip the word Federation off Hoshi Sato and the card plays the same.
A card that says "creature types among non-Borg creatures you control" without the label still counts the same way.
There is no Federation entry to look up in the rules, and no "Federation creature". Federation is not a creature type, so nothing "is" a Federation.
Nothing in the rules cares whether a card has a Federation ability. No card can search for one by the label.
The current rules (effective June 19, 2026) do not list Federation among the ability words yet, because the Star Trek update has not been published. [VERIFY RULE] Expect Federation in the 207.2c list, and Borg, Officer, Vulcan and Klingon in the creature type list (205.3m), with the Star Trek rules update.
How creature types are counted
Situation | Counts? | Why | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
One creature with three types (a Vulcan Human Scientist) | Three types | Every type on the creature counts | Confirmed (Wizards' example counts both types on Hoshi Sato) |
Two creatures that are both Human | One type | Federation counts types, not creatures | Confirmed (Wizards' example) |
A creature token (a 1/1 Thopter, Porthos the Dog) | Yes | A token is a creature you control, with the types its creator gave it (CR 111.4) | Confirmed under the general rules |
A Borg creature, such as Free Borg Revolutionaries (a Borg Rebel) | None of its types | "If you control a Borg creature, none of its other creature types are counted" unless a non-Borg creature you control also has them (Wizards) | Confirmed |
A creature you assimilated | No | It becomes a Borg artifact creature and loses all other creature types (Wizards) | Confirmed |
A changeling | No | Changeling means "every creature type" (CR 702.73a), so it is a Borg, and Federation skips Borg | Reading, [VERIFY RULE]. Wargamer describes the non-Borg clause as the guard against changelings. |
A face-down creature (morph, manifest, disguise, cloak) | No | Face-down creatures have no subtypes (CR 708.2a) | Confirmed under the general rules |
A Spacecraft that has become a creature, a crewed Vehicle | Usually no | Spacecraft and Vehicle are artifact types (CR 205.3g), not creature types. Starship Enterprise becomes an artifact creature at 16+ with no creature type. | Confirmed (Scryfall type line plus CR) |
An opponent's creature, a creature in your graveyard | No | Only creatures you control on the battlefield | Confirmed (Oracle text) |
A Shapeshifter such as Constable Odo | Yes, as Shapeshifter and Detective | Shapeshifter is a normal creature type. It is not changeling. | Confirmed (Scryfall type line) |
When the number is locked in. X is counted as the ability resolves, once, and does not change afterward (CR 608.2h). Captain Archer's +X/+X stays the same size even if a creature dies later in the turn. Our reading [VERIFY RULE].
Every Federation card (Scryfall, October 21, 2026)
All four are in the main set (TRK). None are in the Commander set (TRC) in Scryfall's preview data. The full gallery is due October 30, so this list can grow.
Card | Cost, rarity | The Federation ability, after the label | Counts itself as | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Captain Jonathan Archer (TRK #186) | {2}{G}, rare | "{G}, {T}: Target creature you control gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of creature types among non-Borg creatures you control. Activate only as a sorcery." | Human, Officer, plus Porthos the Dog token from its enter trigger | Not listed yet |
Hoshi Sato, Exolinguist (TRK #64) | {4}{U}, uncommon | "When Hoshi Sato enters, look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the number of creature types among non-Borg creatures you control. Put one of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order." | Human, Scientist | $2.99, Scryfall, Oct 21 (preorder) [RE-PULL PRICE] |
Saavik, Stoic Student (TRK #33) | {4}{W}, uncommon, flash | "When Saavik enters, she deals X damage to target attacking or blocking creature an opponent controls, where X is the number of creature types among non-Borg creatures you control." | Vulcan, Advisor | Not listed yet |
Starfleet Academy (TRK #297) | Legendary land, mythic | "{5}, {T}: Choose a color. Add an amount of mana of that color equal to the number of creature types among non-Borg creatures you control." (It also taps for {C}.) | Not a creature | Not listed yet |
Not a Federation card: Federation Probe (TRK #59) is a one-mana flying Construct. It shares the name and has no Federation ability.
Federation examples with real cards
Captain Archer on his own is already a +3/+3. Archer is a Human Officer and makes Porthos, a 1/1 Dog token, when he enters. That is three types (Human, Officer, Dog) before anything else hits the table, so his activated ability gives +3/+3 for one green mana.
Hoshi Sato digs deeper on a wide, mixed board. With Hoshi (Human Scientist), Spock, Logical Choice (Vulcan Human Scientist), Worf, Chief Tactical Officer (Klingon Warrior Officer) and a Thopter token on the battlefield, the count is Human, Scientist, Vulcan, Klingon, Warrior, Officer and Thopter, seven types, so Hoshi looks at seven cards. Add a Borg token from Locutus of Borg and the count stays at seven.
Saavik is a flash removal spell that scales. Saavik counts herself (Vulcan, Advisor), so she deals at least 2 when she resolves. With four other types on the board she deals 6 to an attacker, at instant speed.
Starfleet Academy needs a crowd to pay off. The ability costs {5} plus tapping the land. At six creature types it breaks even with tapping the Academy for {C} and fixes the color. At seven or more it comes out ahead. One detail bites here: it is a mana ability, so it resolves on the spot and no opponent can respond to shrink the count first.
Assimilate shrinks the count. If The Borg Queen assimilates a Vulcan from an opponent's library, that creature arrives as a Borg and adds nothing. Federation and assimilate pull in opposite directions, by design.
Is Federation in the Federation Fleet deck?
Unconfirmed, and the name is misleading. The Federation Fleet face commander is Jean-Luc Picard, Luminary (TRC #3, Jeskai, 2/4), and its abilities reward historic permanents and drawing a second card each turn (the Commander-only "seek out" ability word). It has no Federation ability (Scryfall, Oct 21). Retail listings describe the deck as card draw plus charging Spacecraft.
Hoshi Sato (blue), Saavik (white) and Starfleet Academy (colorless) all fit Jeskai, so they are natural adds even if they are not in the box. Captain Archer is green and cannot go in a Picard deck. [CONFIRM LIST] Update this section when the full Federation Fleet list posts (reported for October 27). The Federation Fleet upgrade guide covers the deck itself.
How to maximize creature-type diversity on a budget
The cheapest Federation engine is a deck that already makes tokens and plays creatures with three types on one card. Every type counts once, so the goal is new types, not more bodies. The Star Trek sets alone hold 58 different creature types across 218 cards in Scryfall's preview data (Oct 21), but Human (41 cards) and Officer (31) dominate, so a Star Trek-only deck repeats itself fast.
Star Trek cards that carry three types (Jeskai colors)
Card | Types it adds |
|---|---|
Spock, Logical Choice (TRC), Mr. Spock, Science Officer (TRK), Spock, Always Your Friend (TRK) | Vulcan, Human, Scientist |
Worf, Chief Tactical Officer (TRC), Worf, Honor-Bound Warrior (TRK), Koloth, Tribble Hunter (TRC) | Klingon, Warrior, Officer (Koloth also hands every player Tribble tokens, and only yours count) |
Worf, Intelligence Contractor (TRK) | Klingon, Warrior, Spy |
Gray and Adira, Forever Joined (TRK) | Trill, Human, Officer |
Guinan, Ancient Advisor (TRC), Lieutenant Commander Data (TRK), Spot, Felis catus (TRC) | El-Aurian and Advisor, Android and Scientist, Cat |
Budget adds from outside the set, each under $2
Prices are Scryfall, October 21, 2026, for the printing named. The first three match the Federation Fleet budget five in the November batch (brand review F1). [RE-PULL PRICE] cheapest non-foil on publish day.
Card | Price | Types it adds | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
Sai, Master Thopterist (DRC #82) | $0.34 | Human, Artificer, Thopter tokens | Already in the Federation Fleet budget five. Artifacts make Thopters. |
Sram, Senior Edificer (SOC #176) | $1.67 | Dwarf, Advisor | Already in the budget five. Dwarf is a type almost nothing in Star Trek has. |
Reckless Fireweaver (DRC #106) | $0.40 | Human, Artificer | Already in the budget five. Adds little to the count, which is fine for a damage engine. |
Whirler Rogue (OTC #122) | $0.22 | Human, Rogue, Artificer, Thopter | Four types from one card for 22 cents |
Pia and Kiran Nalaar (MOC #288) | $0.25 | Human, Artificer, Thopter | Two flying tokens and a sacrifice outlet |
Kykar, Wind's Fury (CMM #343) | $0.43 | Bird, Wizard, Spirit tokens | Jeskai colors exactly. Every noncreature spell adds a Spirit. |
Myr Battlesphere (TDC #322) | $0.33 | Myr, Construct | Five bodies, two new types |
Young Pyromancer (TDC #95) | $0.36 | Human, Shaman, Elemental tokens | Spells become Elementals |
Raise the Alarm (CMR #41) | $0.30 | Soldier tokens | Instant speed. Cast it in response to Saavik's enter trigger and she deals 1 more. |
Secure the Wastes (FRC #31) | $0.42 | Warrior tokens | Instant speed, scales with mana |
Metallic Mimic (MSC #203) | $1.29 | Shapeshifter, plus one type you choose | Two types for two mana. Name a type nothing else has, never Borg. |
Leyline of Transformation (DSK #63) | $0.57 | One type you choose, on every creature you control | Plus one to the count. Again, never name Borg. |
Clone (M14 #47) | $0.69 | Whatever it copies | Copy an opponent's creature to borrow their types. Copying your own adds nothing new. |
Changelings and Federation: the cards not to add
The usual "every creature type" cards are traps here. A changeling is every creature type, Borg included, so Federation skips it entirely. Our reading, [VERIFY RULE] until the release notes.
Card | Price | What it does to Federation |
|---|---|---|
Universal Automaton | $0.62 | Counts as zero. It is a Borg. |
Changeling Outcast (black, outside Jeskai) | $2.61 | Counts as zero |
Mirror Entity | $2.28 | Counts as zero, and activating it gives every creature you control all creature types until end of turn. That makes your whole board Borg and drops Federation to zero for the turn. |
Maskwood Nexus | $2.80 | Makes every creature you control every creature type. Federation drops to zero for as long as it stays. |
Amorphous Axe | $0.23 | The equipped creature becomes every creature type, so it stops counting |
Conspiracy (black) | $2.58 | Sets every creature you control to one chosen type. The count collapses to one, or to zero if you name Borg. |
Arcane Adaptation, Leyline of Transformation, Metallic Mimic | see above | Safe and useful with any new type. Naming Borg turns them into the same trap. |
Prices: Scryfall, October 21, 2026, default printing. Prices describe the market, not a buy or sell call.
Federation rulings and edge cases
Official Star Trek rulings are not out yet (Scryfall lists no rulings on any Federation card, Oct 21). Each answer below names its basis.
Does a changeling count? No. Changeling is "every creature type" (CR 702.73a), that includes Borg, and a Borg creature adds nothing. Our reading [VERIFY RULE].
Does a token count? Yes. Porthos is a Dog, Thopter tokens are Thopters (CR 111.4). Confirmed under the general rules.
Do two Humans count twice? No. Federation counts types, not creatures (Wizards' Hoshi and Sisko example). Confirmed.
Does Hoshi Sato count herself? Yes, if she is still on the battlefield when her trigger resolves. The count happens on resolution (CR 608.2h), so if Hoshi is removed in response, her Human and Scientist do not count. Our reading [VERIFY RULE].
Does a Borg Rebel add Rebel? No, unless another non-Borg creature you control is also a Rebel (Wizards). Confirmed.
Does an assimilated creature count for its owner? No. It is under the Borg player's control, and it is a Borg. Confirmed (Wizards' assimilate text).
Does a stationed Spacecraft count? Not unless something gives it a creature type. Spacecraft is an artifact type (CR 205.3g). Confirmed.
Does Archer's bonus shrink if a creature dies after it resolves? No. X is locked when the ability resolves (CR 608.2h). Our reading [VERIFY RULE].
Is Federation a keyword? No. It is an ability word with no rules meaning (CR 207.2c). Confirmed.
Is Federation good?
In Limited, it rewards drafting a spread of species and punishes a Borg-heavy table. In Commander, the payoffs are modest so far: a five-mana dig, a five-mana flash removal spell, a pump and a mana land. Starfleet Academy looks like the card most likely to see play outside Star Trek decks, because any creature-heavy deck with mixed types turns it into a big mana burst. If you play a token deck with three or four token types already, Federation cards slot in with no extra work. If your pod plays the Borg deck, expect the count to shrink every time The Borg Queen attacks.
Where can you play Federation cards?
The four Federation cards are in the main Star Trek set (TRK). Wizards says TRK is legal in all formats, and TRC cards are legal in Commander, Legacy and Vintage (Wizards, Collecting Star Trek, October 20, 2026). Star Trek reaches MTG Arena on November 10, with tabletop release on November 13.
Frequently asked questions
What does Federation do in MTG?
Federation is an ability word on Star Trek cards. Each Federation ability counts the different creature types among the non-Borg creatures you control and uses that number, for example as damage, a pump or how many cards to look at.
Is Federation a keyword ability?
No. Federation is an ability word, like landfall. Ability words have no rules meaning of their own (Comprehensive Rules 207.2c). The text after the label does all the work.
Do changelings count for Federation?
No. A changeling is every creature type, and that includes Borg. Federation ignores Borg creatures, so a changeling adds nothing. This is SparkMTG's reading until Wizards publishes the Star Trek release notes.
Do tokens count for Federation?
Yes. A creature token you control counts with whatever creature types it was created with, so Porthos adds Dog and a Thopter token adds Thopter.
Does a creature with several creature types count more than once?
Each of its types counts, but each type counts only once across your board. A Human Scientist and a Human Officer together make three types: Human, Scientist and Officer.
What happens to Federation when a creature is assimilated?
It stops counting. Assimilate makes the creature a Borg artifact creature with no other creature types, and Federation skips Borg creatures.
Which cards have Federation?
As of October 21, 2026, four: Captain Jonathan Archer, Hoshi Sato, Exolinguist, Saavik, Stoic Student and the land Starfleet Academy. All four are in the main Star Trek set. More may appear in the full card gallery on October 30.
Is Federation in the Federation Fleet Commander deck?
Not confirmed. The deck's commander, Jean-Luc Picard, Luminary, has no Federation ability. Hoshi Sato, Saavik and Starfleet Academy fit the deck's Jeskai colors and can be added.
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