MTG Star Trek Mechanics: Assimilate, Federation, Dilemma

The Star Trek mechanics at a glance

Assimilate

Resistance is futile. Assimilate is the Borg's mechanic. In Wizards' words: “The assimilate keyword action gives you control of a creature or puts a creature card onto the battlefield under your control. Either way, a +1/+1 counter is put on that creature, and it becomes a Borg artifact creature and loses its other creature types.”

A revealed card with it reads:

Borg Queen, Perfection Manifest: “When Borg Queen enters, assimilate target creature card from an opponent's graveyard. (Put it onto the battlefield under your control with a +1/+1 counter. It's a Borg artifact creature and loses all other creature types.)”

• Where the creature comes from depends on the card. Wizards describes both kinds, gaining control of a creature or putting a creature card onto the battlefield; Borg Queen takes one from an opponent's graveyard.
• It becomes an artifact creature. So every assimilated creature feeds artifact payoffs, and several revealed Borg cards are exactly that: Borg Queen gives artifact creatures you control +2/+0, and Assault Drone reads “Artifact creatures you control get +1/+0.”
• It becomes a Borg and loses its other creature types. An assimilated Human Soldier's only creature type is Borg, which matters for typal cards and for federation below.
• It keeps a +1/+1 counter, so it is a little bigger than it was.

One card in our data so far has assimilate: every card with assimilate.

The Borg precon is We Are the Borg; fan trackers report it is built around assimilate.

Federation

Federation is an ability word, like landfall: it labels a group of abilities and has no rules meaning of its own. In Wizards' words: “The federation ability word groups abilities that care about the number of creature types among non-Borg creatures a player controls.”

Two revealed federation cards:

Hoshi Sato, Exolinguist: “Federation — 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.”

Saavik, Stoic Student: “Federation — 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.”

• Variety counts, not numbers. X is the number of different creature types, so five Humans count as one, while a Human Officer, a Vulcan Scientist and a Klingon Warrior count as six: Human, Officer, Vulcan, Scientist, Klingon and Warrior.
• Borg never count. The abilities count non-Borg creatures only, and an assimilated creature is a Borg.
• Changelings do not break it. Wizards' aside, “Sorry, Amoeboid Changeling. Maybe next time!”, points at the reason: a changeling has every creature type, Borg included, so it is a Borg creature and federation leaves it out.

Federation is an ability word, so Scryfall lists no keyword for it and there is no keyword page; its cards are on the Star Trek set page as TCGplayer lists them.

Face a dilemma

This is a new name for something Magic already does. In Wizards' words: “Some cards have abilities that trigger whenever a player “faces a dilemma,” which happens whenever that player chooses one or more modes for a spell or ability.” Facing a dilemma does nothing by itself; other cards reward it. A revealed payoff:

Seven of Nine: “Whenever you face a dilemma, draw a card. (You face a dilemma as you choose one or more modes for a spell or ability.)”

• Only your own choices count for Seven of Nine. It says “whenever you face a dilemma”, so an opponent's modal spell draws you nothing.
• Any modal spell or ability works. The reminder text names no set, so a “choose one” card from any era is a dilemma too. All that matters, Wizards says, is that you make a choice.

Star Trek has its own modal cards, which double as interaction:

Set Phasers to . . .: “Choose one — • Stun — Tap target creature and put a stun counter on it. (If a permanent with a stun counter would become untapped, remove one from it instead.) • Kill — This spell deals 3 damage to target attacking creature.”

Consider the Prime Directive: “Choose one — • Interfere — Counter target spell unless its controller pays {3}. • Observe — Tap up to one target creature and put a stun counter on it. Draw a card. (If a permanent with a stun counter would become untapped, remove one from it instead.)”

One card in our data so far has face a dilemma: every card with face a dilemma.

Station and Spacecraft (returning)

Both debuted in Edge of Eternities and return here. In Wizards' words: “Each Spacecraft starts as an artifact and can gain other abilities when you add charge counters to it with station.” The U.S.S. Enterprise-D, also one of the Beam Me Up Bundle's schematic promo cards, shows how it reads:

U.S.S. Enterprise-D, Galaxy-Class: “Station (Tap another creature you control: Put charge counters equal to its power on this Spacecraft. Station only as a sorcery. It's an artifact creature at 7+.)”

• A Spacecraft starts as an artifact, not a creature: it cannot attack or block until enough charge counters make it one, where its text says so.
• Station taps another creature you control and puts charge counters equal to that creature's power on the Spacecraft, only when you could cast a sorcery.
• The numbers on the card are thresholds. The Enterprise-D gains flying and vigilance at 7+ charge counters, and is an artifact creature from then on.

33 cards in our data have station: every card with station, most played first.

Fan trackers report that the Federation Fleet precon is about starships: see Federation Fleet.

How the mechanics interact

• Assimilate against federation: every creature you assimilate becomes a Borg, so it stops counting for federation. Borg decks take creatures and federation decks want a varied crew, so the two pull in opposite directions.
• Assimilate with artifacts: every assimilated creature is an artifact creature, so artifact payoffs come along for free.
• Dilemmas with interaction: modal removal and counterspells such as Set Phasers to . . . and Consider the Prime Directive answer a threat and trigger dilemma payoffs at once.

Where to see and price the cards

• Every revealed card in our data: the Star Trek spoilers list, and the Star Trek (TRK) set page with every store's price.
• Dates and what is in each product: the Star Trek release date and products guide.
• The four precons: the Star Trek Commander decks guide.
• Every Magic keyword, from flying to station: the keywords glossary.

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