MTG Star Trek Federation Mechanic Counts Non-Borg Creature Types
Federation is a new mechanic in the 2026 Magic: The Gathering Star Trek set, a Universes Beyond release. It reportedly counts the number of creature types among the non-Borg creatures you control, and that value serves as X on a federation ability.
Each unique creature type counts once. Two elves give a federation value of 1, while an elf warrior plus an elf druid gives 3: elf, warrior and druid. Federation abilities can appear on any card type, and different cards use the value in different ways. Captain Jonathan Archer, a creature, has an activated ability that buffs another creature based on X. Infinite Diversity uses the value to determine how many times it copies an instant or sorcery spell.
Several cases are excluded or limited. Changelings do not count, because they carry the Borg creature type alongside every other type. Without that exclusion, changelings with more than 200 creature types would make Starfleet Academy tap for over 200 mana, so the restriction is a mechanical necessity. The Borg were chosen for flavor reasons, as antagonists to the Federation. Face-down creatures, such as those created through morph, cloak or manifest dread, have no creature type and do not count unless they gain one.
Tokens count, since federation does not restrict itself to nontoken creatures. Artifact and enchantment creatures count too, but card types and supertypes, which appear left of the en dash, are not creature types. Doomwake Giant, an Enchantment Creature — Giant, has only one creature type: Giant.
Federation checks the number of creature types as the spell or ability resolves. If Captain Jonathan Archer is removed in response and only a dog token remains, X is 1 and Porthos gets +1/+1.
Cards with federation include Captain Jonathan Archer, Hoshi Sato, Exolinguist, Infinite Diversity, Jean-Luc, Mon Capitaine, Saavik, Stoic Student, Sarek, Federation Ambassador and Starfleet Academy. Draftsim's author calls Starfleet Academy "busted" and expects it to be strongest in token decks. Federation has not yet appeared in a non-Star Trek set.
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