What it does
Ascend grants a bonus once you control ten or more permanents—your "city's blessing." On a permanent (like an enchantment), it checks immediately and continuously: the moment you hit ten permanents, you gain the city's blessing and keep it. On a sorcery or instant, ascend is checked only as that spell resolves; if you have ten permanents then, you gain the blessing for the rest of the game.
The key nuance: once you have the city's blessing, you keep it permanently, even if your permanent count drops below ten. It's a one-way switch, not a state that toggles off. Also, all permanents count—lands, tokens, artifacts—not just creatures.
In Commander, ten permanents is trivial to reach, especially in the mid-to-late game, so ascend cards are usually "on" by the time they matter, making the blessing a reliable, lasting upgrade.
Iconic cards with Ascend
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