---
name: "Baral and Kari Zev"
mana_cost: "{1}{U}{R}"
cmc: 3
type_line: "Legendary Creature — Human"
colors: []
color_identity: ["R", "U"]
keywords: ["First strike", "Menace"]
set: "PMOM"
set_name: "March of the Machine Promos"
collector_number: "218s"
rarity: "rare"
artist: "Fariba Khamseh"
oracle_id: "386a6fa7-db5b-4e82-bd25-fd86d910ed0c"
canonical_url: "https://avascry.com/printing/baral-and-kari-zev-pmom"
legalities:
  commander: "legal"
  standard: "not_legal"
  modern: "legal"
  pioneer: "legal"
  legacy: "legal"
  vintage: "legal"
  pauper: "not_legal"
  penny: "legal"
---

# Baral and Kari Zev
- **Mana Cost:** `{1}{U}{R}` (CMC: 3)
- **Type:** Legendary Creature — Human
- **Keywords:** First strike, Menace

## Oracle Text
First strike, menace
Whenever you cast your first instant or sorcery spell each turn, you may cast a spell with lesser mana value that shares a card type with it from your hand without paying its mana cost. If you don't, create First Mate Ragavan, a legendary 2/1 red Monkey Pirate creature token. It gains haste until end of turn.

## Top 4096-Dim Neural Synergies
1. [Kari Zev, Skyship Raider](/printing/kari-zev-skyship-raider-lcc.md) — Legendary Creature — Human Pirate
2. [Kari Zev, Crew of Two](/printing/kari-zev-crew-of-two-ydft.md) — Legendary Creature — Human Pirate
3. [Rashmi and Ragavan](/printing/rashmi-and-ragavan-moc.md) — Legendary Creature — Elf Monkey
4. [Karlach, Tiefling Spellrager](/printing/karlach-tiefling-spellrager-hbg.md) — Legendary Creature — Tiefling Barbarian
5. [The Blue Spirit](/printing/the-blue-spirit-tle.md) — Legendary Creature — Human Rogue Ally
6. [Zaffai and the Tempests](/printing/zaffai-and-the-tempests-sos.md) — Legendary Creature — Human Bard Sorcerer

## Printing Details
- **Set:** March of the Machine Promos (PMOM) #218s
- **Rarity:** Rare
- **Artist:** Fariba Khamseh
- **Total Printings:** 5 across all historical editions

## Format Legalities
Commander: `legal` | Standard: `not_legal` | Modern: `legal` | Pioneer: `legal` | Legacy: `legal` | Vintage: `legal` | Pauper: `not_legal` | Penny: `legal`

## Official Rulings
- *(2023-04-14)* The spell you cast from your hand without paying its mana cost is cast during the resolution of the triggered ability. Timing restrictions of that spell based on card type are ignored. It will resolve before the spell that caused the ability to trigger.
- *(2023-04-14)* If you cast a spell without paying its mana cost, you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay any additional costs. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those.
- *(2023-04-14)* If the spell has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
- *(2023-04-14)* Baral and Kari Zev will count any instant or sorcery spell you cast during a turn, even if it wasn’t on the battlefield at the time. This means if you cast an instant or sorcery spell, then Baral and Kari Zev comes under your control, its triggered ability won’t trigger that turn.