Every MTG Star Trek Mechanic Explained: Rules, Cards and Decks

Updated October 21, 2026. Card counts come from Scryfall's Star Trek preview data on October 21, with about half the set revealed. Wizards has not published the Star Trek release notes yet, so any ruling tagged as SparkMTG's reading can change when they post.

Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek adds seven new mechanics (assimilate, face a dilemma, Federation, beam me up and strange new worlds, plus the Commander-only battlefront and seek out), brings back station and Spacecraft from Edge of Eternities, and puts landfall on eight cards. Assimilate steals creatures and turns them into Borg, face a dilemma rewards choosing modes, Federation counts creature types among your non-Borg creatures, and station taps your creatures to put charge counters on Spacecraft.

Card counts: Scryfall, October 21, 2026. "Main set" is Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek (TRK), sold in Play Boosters. "Commander" is Star Trek Commander (TRC), the four precons plus the Welcome Deck cards.

Assimilate is the Borg keyword action. To assimilate a card, put it onto the battlefield under your control with a +1/+1 counter. It becomes a Borg artifact creature and loses its other creature types, but keeps its name, colors, abilities, supertypes and other card types (Wizards, October 20). Three cards assimilate so far, and each takes from a different zone. The Borg Queen, the We Are the Borg commander, takes from an opponent's library. Borg Queen, Perfection Manifest, from the black Welcome Deck, takes from a graveyard. Borg Cube, a main-set mythic, takes from exile. Because Borg Cube is in the main set, assimilate is legal in Standard. Wizards also describes a version that steals a creature already on the battlefield, but no revealed card uses it yet. The Comprehensive Rules have no assimilate entry yet, so edge cases such as changelings are SparkMTG's reading. [VERIFY RULE]

Read the full guide: Assimilate in MTG: all 3 cards, rulings and how to beat it

Face a dilemma is a new rules term for something players already do. You face a dilemma as you choose one or more modes for a modal spell or ability, such as Command Decision or the trigger on Captain James T. Kirk. Choosing several modes, or the same mode more than once, is a single dilemma. A countered spell still counts, because the choice happened when you cast it (Wizards, October 20). Two cards pay off on it so far: Seven of Nine draws a card each time you face a dilemma, and Captain Benjamin Sisko makes a 1/1 Officer token at your end step for each dilemma that turn. Eighteen revealed Star Trek cards are modal, and every older Charm and Command counts too. Copies of modal spells, council's dilemma cards and choosing zero modes are still open questions. [VERIFY RULE]

Read the full guide: Face a dilemma in MTG: how the modal mechanic works

Federation is an ability word, a label with no rules meaning of its own (CR 207.2c). Every Federation ability counts the creature types among the non-Borg creatures you control, then uses that number in its own way. A Human Scientist and a Human Officer make three types, because Human counts once. Borg creatures add nothing, so a creature that gets assimilated stops counting. Changelings are every creature type, Borg included, so they most likely count as zero. [VERIFY RULE] Four main-set cards have it: Captain Jonathan Archer, Hoshi Sato, Exolinguist, Saavik, Stoic Student and the land Starfleet Academy. Jean-Luc Picard, Luminary, the Federation Fleet commander, has no Federation ability, so the deck's name says nothing about the mechanic until its decklist posts.

Read the full guide: MTG Federation mechanic: how Star Trek counts your crew

Spacecraft is an artifact subtype, and station is the activated ability that powers one up (CR 702.184a). As a sorcery, tap another untapped creature you control and put charge counters on the Spacecraft equal to that creature's power. Wizards confirms a creature that arrived this turn can pay it. Once the ship has at least the number printed in its text box, it gains that striation's abilities, and if a power and toughness box sits there, it becomes an artifact creature. The counters are charge counters and they stay from turn to turn. Spacecraft are not crewed. Nine Star Trek Spacecraft are on Scryfall, from the two-mana D-7 Battle Cruiser to Deep Space 9, which never becomes a creature. Jean-Luc Picard, Luminary adds two charge counters to a Spacecraft with his seek out ability.

Read the full guide: Station and Spacecraft in MTG: how Star Trek's ships work

Landfall is a returning ability word. Each landfall ability triggers whenever a land you control enters. Wizards' mechanics article skips it because it is not new, but Scryfall's preview data shows it on eight Star Trek cards. Seven are red or green main-set cards, including Cleveland Booker, Empath, which makes a 2/2 Worm token on each land, and Captain Michael Burnham. The eighth is Starship Enterprise, a colorless Commander Spacecraft that gets four charge counters each time a land you control enters, the one card where landfall and station meet. Landing Party's commander, Commander Spock, does not have landfall. His ability is strange new worlds, which counts differently named lands. Whether Landing Party is a landfall deck is confirmed on decklist day, October 29.

Read more: Landfall and Starship Enterprise in the station guide

Beam me up is a new keyword ability on Star Trek instants and sorceries. You may cast the card from your graveyard for its beam me up cost if you also return a creature you control to its owner's hand. The spell is exiled afterward, even if it is countered. Returning the creature is part of the cost, so it is too late for anyone to respond by removing it. Card type still sets the timing, and mana value still comes from the printed mana cost (Wizards, October 20, 2026). Two main-set commons have it so far, both sorceries: Open Communications draws a card and Pure Energy distributes two +1/+1 counters, and each has beam me up for three mana. No Commander card has it yet. Recasting the returned creature reuses its enters abilities, so a cheap one such as Emergency Medical Hologram makes each beam worth two cards.

Strange new worlds is a new ability word that counts the differently named lands you control. Each name counts once, so three Forests, an Island and a Breeding Pool make three (Wizards, October 20, 2026). Extra basics add nothing, and every different nonbasic land adds one. Snow-Covered basics and Wastes carry names of their own. [VERIFY RULE] Landfall triggers each time a land enters, but strange new worlds checks the lands on the battlefield when the number is used, so cracking Evolving Wilds never raises the count. [VERIFY RULE] Five cards have it so far. Commander Spock, the Landing Party face commander, reveals the top card of your library whenever he enters or attacks, and you may cast it free if its mana value is at most your count. Christine Chapel, Combat Medic is the other Commander card. Captain Pike, Fullness of Time, The Traveler and Deep Space Scan are in the main set.

Battlefront is a new ability word that appears only on Commander cards. It counts the opponents you attacked this turn, and like every ability word it has no rules meaning of its own (CR 207.2c). Worf, Defiant Commander, the Klingon Fury face commander, exiles that many cards from the top of your library whenever you attack, and you may play them until the end of your next turn. An opponent counts once you declare at least one creature attacking that player, and an opponent attacked twice still counts once. Creatures that enter the battlefield attacking, such as myriad copies, add nothing. Extra combats keep the tally, so a second Worf trigger counts everyone attacked earlier that turn (Wizards, October 20, 2026). A blocked attacker still counts. Attacking only a planeswalker or a battle probably does not count its player. [VERIFY RULE]

Seek out is a new ability word that appears only on Commander cards. Its abilities trigger whenever you draw your second card each turn, on any player's turn. One card has it so far: Jean-Luc Picard, Luminary, the Federation Fleet face commander. Each time it triggers, he puts a +1/+1 counter on up to one other target creature and two charge counters on up to one target Spacecraft. On your turn, the draw step card is your first, so any single extra draw sets it off. Picard supplies one himself, since he draws a card whenever another historic permanent you control with mana value 3 or greater enters. On an opponent's turn you need two draws. Picard only has to be on the battlefield for the second draw (Wizards, October 20, 2026). Seek out triggers once a turn, and a wheel counts only its second card. [VERIFY RULE]

Wizards named all four face commanders on October 20, 2026. The rest of each list is still unrevealed, so this table states only what the face commanders confirm.

What is not confirmed yet:

Decklist dates follow Wizards' Star Trek preview schedule. In North America, Wizards says the Commander decks may arrive after the November 13 release, so check with your store. Compare all four in the Star Trek Commander decks guide, or see which Star Trek precon to buy.

Prerelease events run November 6 to 12, 2026, and each Prerelease Pack holds six Play Boosters plus a traditional foil rare or mythic (Wizards). Play Boosters contain main-set cards and stardates reprints only.

Card text is preview data until the release notes post. When a ruling matters, call a judge. MTG Arena gets Star Trek on November 10, partway through prerelease week. Every date through 2027 is on the MTG release calendar.

Seven are new: assimilate, face a dilemma, Federation, beam me up and strange new worlds in the main set, plus battlefront and seek out on Commander cards only. Station and Spacecraft return from Edge of Eternities, and landfall appears on eight cards. Wizards explained all of them except landfall in its mechanics article on October 20, 2026.

Assimilate puts a creature card onto the battlefield under your control with a +1/+1 counter, and it becomes a Borg artifact creature that loses its other creature types. Three cards have it as of October 21, 2026: The Borg Queen takes from a library, Borg Queen, Perfection Manifest from a graveyard and Borg Cube from exile.

Yes, the main set is. Wizards says Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek (TRK) is legal in all formats, which puts Borg Cube, the four Federation cards and the main-set Spacecraft in Standard. The Commander deck cards (TRC) are legal in Commander, Legacy and Vintage.

No. Wizards says choosing several modes, even the same mode more than once, counts as a single dilemma. A countered spell still counts, because you face the dilemma when you choose the modes.

SparkMTG's reading is no. A changeling is every creature type, Borg included, and Federation counts only creature types among non-Borg creatures you control. Wizards has not published the Star Trek release notes yet, so check this ruling when they post. [VERIFY RULE]

Yes. Wizards says the creature you tap can be any other untapped creature you control, including one that just came under your control this turn. Station is still sorcery speed, so it happens in your main phase with an empty stack.

No. Station puts charge counters on a Spacecraft, and they stay from turn to turn. Crew makes a Vehicle an artifact creature until end of turn. Spacecraft are not crewed, and the counters are charge counters, not station counters.

Yes, on eight cards in Scryfall's preview data as of October 21, 2026: seven red and green main-set cards and Starship Enterprise, a Commander card that gets four charge counters whenever a land you control enters. Landing Party's commander, Commander Spock, uses strange new worlds instead.

Battlefront and seek out. Battlefront is on Worf, Defiant Commander (Klingon Fury) and counts the opponents you attacked this turn. Seek out is on Jean-Luc Picard, Luminary (Federation Fleet) and triggers when you draw your second card each turn.

Not that anyone can confirm yet. Its commander, Jean-Luc Picard, Luminary, has seek out and helps charge Spacecraft, but no Federation ability. All four Federation cards revealed so far are in the main set. The full Federation Fleet decklist is due October 27.

No. Returning the creature is part of the cost to cast the spell, so it is already in your hand before anyone can respond (Wizards, October 20, 2026). Opponents can still counter the spell, and it is exiled either way. Two main-set commons have beam me up so far: Open Communications and Pure Energy.

No. Landfall triggers each time a land enters the battlefield under your control, even a fourth Forest. Strange new worlds counts the different land names you control when the number is used. Cracking Evolving Wilds triggers landfall, but it never raises the strange new worlds count, because the Wilds leaves as the basic arrives. [VERIFY RULE]

Yes, but each basic land name counts only once, so ten Forests count the same as one. Snow-Covered Forest and Wastes have their own names, so they count separately from Forest, which gives a green, white and blue deck seven basic names. This is SparkMTG's reading until the release notes post. [VERIFY RULE]

No. Worf, Defiant Commander's ability says "whenever you attack", which triggers when you declare one or more creatures as attackers (CR 508.3d). His 2/1 Klingon Warrior token or any other creature can do the attacking while Worf stays home to block.

Yes, if you draw two cards during that turn (Wizards, October 20, 2026). Each turn starts your count at zero, so on an opponent's turn you need two draws, such as an instant that draws two or Mind's Eye paying off two opponent draws. Jean-Luc Picard, Luminary is the only seek out card so far.

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