What it does
Escalate appears on instants and sorceries that give you a menu of modes (like Modal spells with "choose one or more"). The escalate cost is an additional cost you pay for each mode you choose beyond the first. So if you want three modes, you pay the spell's base mana cost plus the escalate cost twice.
The most common misunderstanding: escalate is paid per extra mode, not per total mode. The first mode is free; only additional choices cost the escalate fee. Also, you must still follow normal targeting rules—you can't pick the same mode twice unless the card says otherwise, and each chosen mode needs a legal target if it requires one.
In Commander, escalate cards like Collective Brutality or Kari Zev's Expertise scale beautifully when you have surplus mana or fodder to discard, letting one card handle multiple problems in the late game.
Iconic cards with Escalate
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