What it does
Explore is a "do this thing" trigger, usually from a creature entering the battlefield. When a creature explores, you reveal the top card of your library. If it's a land, you put it into your hand. If it's a nonland, you put a +1/+1 counter on the exploring creature, then choose whether to leave that card on top or put it into your graveyard.
The key nuance: you only get a land OR a counter, never both, and the creature gets the counter even if it would otherwise die—so a small creature can survive damage by exploring into a buff. Also, you choose to bin or keep the nonland card, which lets you set up your draw or fuel graveyard synergies.
In Commander, explore quietly advances your game plan: it smooths land drops, grows your board, and feeds graveyard strategies. Multiple explore triggers (from blink or token effects) compound fast, especially with counter-matters payoffs.
Iconic cards with Explore
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