Ethereal Ambush
Instant
Card text
Manifest the top two cards of your library. (To manifest a card, put it onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature. Turn it face up any time for its mana cost if it's a creature card.)
The energies of the Temur lands are readily unleashed upon intruders.
Showing Fate Reforged#152
Price
0.07 $
Foil 0.13 $
12 printings · up to 0.40 $
Daily estimate from Scryfall, not a shop quote.
Ethereal Ambush rulings
Because face-down creatures don't have names, they can't have the same name as any other creature, even another face-down creature.
A permanent that turns face up or face down changes characteristics but is otherwise the same permanent. Spells and abilities that were targeting that permanent, as well as Auras and Equipment that were attached to the permanent, aren't affected.
Turning a permanent face up or face down doesn't change whether that permanent is tapped or untapped.
At any time, you can look at a face-down permanent you control. You can't look at face-down permanents you don't control unless an effect allows you to or instructs you to.
If a face-down permanent you control leaves the battlefield, you must reveal it. You must also reveal all face-down spells and permanents you control if you leave the game or if the game ends.
The cards are manifested one at a time. It must remain clear which face-down creature was the top card of your library and which one was the second card of your library.
If you're playing with the top card of your library revealed as Ethereal Ambush resolves (perhaps because you control a card such as Courser of Kruphix), you'll manifest the top card, reveal the next card (now the top card), and then manifest that card.
The face-down permanent is a 2/2 creature with no name, mana cost, creature types, or abilities. It's colorless and has a mana value of 0. Other effects that apply to the permanent can still grant or change any of these characteristics.
Any time you have priority, you may turn a manifested creature face up by revealing that it's a creature card (ignoring any copy effects or type-changing effects that might be applying to it) and paying its mana cost. This is a special action. It doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.
If a manifested creature would have morph if it were face up, you may also turn it face up by paying its morph cost.
Unlike a face-down creature that was cast using the morph ability, a manifested creature may still be turned face up after it loses its abilities if it's a creature card.
Because the permanent is on the battlefield both before and after it's turned face up, turning a permanent face up doesn't cause any enters-the-battlefield abilities to trigger.
You must ensure that your face-down spells and permanents can easily be differentiated from each other. You're not allowed to mix up the cards that represent them on the battlefield in order to confuse other players. The order they entered the battlefield should remain clear. Common methods for indicating this include using markers or dice, or simply placing them in order on the battlefield. You must also track how each became face down (manifested, cast face down using the morph ability, and so on).
There are no cards in the Fate Reforged set that would turn a face-down instant or sorcery card on the battlefield face up, but some older cards can try to do this. If something tries to turn a face-down instant or sorcery card on the battlefield face up, reveal that card to show all players it's an instant or sorcery card. The permanent remains on the battlefield face down. Abilities that trigger when a permanent turns face up won't trigger, because even though you revealed the card, it never turned face up.
If a double-faced card is manifested, it will be put onto the battlefield face down. While face down, it can't transform. If the front face of the card is a creature card, you can turn it face up by paying its mana cost. If you do, its front face will be up.
Ethereal Ambush keyword rules
Manifest Rule 701.34
To manifest a card, turn it face down. It becomes a 2/2 face-down creature card with no text, no name, no subtypes, and no mana cost. Put that card onto the battlefield face down. That permanent is a manifested permanent for as long as it remains face down. The effect defining its characteristics works while the card is face down and ends when it’s turned face up.
Any time you have priority, you may turn a manifested permanent you control face up. This is a special action that doesn’t use the stack (see rule ). To do this, show all players that the card representing that permanent is a creature card and what that card’s mana cost is, pay that cost, then turn the permanent face up. The effect defining its characteristics while it was face down ends, and it regains its normal characteristics. (If the card representing that permanent isn’t a creature card or it doesn’t have a mana cost, it can’t be turned face up this way.)
If a card with morph is manifested, its controller may turn that card face up using either the procedure described in rule to turn a face-down permanent with morph face up or the procedure described above to turn a manifested permanent face up.
If a card with disguise is manifested, its controller may turn that card face up using either the procedure described in rule to turn a face-down permanent with disguise face up or the procedure described above to turn a manifested permanent face up.
If an effect instructs a player to manifest multiple cards from their library, those cards are manifested one at a time.
If an effect instructs a player to manifest a card and a rule or effect prohibits the face-down object from entering the battlefield, that card isn’t manifested. Its characteristics remain unmodified and it remains in its previous zone. If it was face up, it remains face up.
If a manifested permanent that’s represented by an instant or sorcery card would turn face up, its controller reveals it and leaves it face down. Abilities that trigger whenever a permanent is turned face up won’t trigger.
See rule , “Face-Down Spells and Permanents,” for more information.
Ethereal Ambush format legality
Constructed
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerLegal
- ModernLegal
- Future StandardNot legal
Eternal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- PauperLegal
- PremodernNot legal
- Old SchoolNot legal
- Penny DreadfulLegal
Commander
- CommanderLegal
- OathbreakerLegal
- Pauper CommanderLegal
- Duel CommanderLegal
- PreDHNot legal
Arena & online
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- AlchemyNot legal
- GladiatorNot legal
- BrawlNot legal
- Standard BrawlNot legal
- Competitive BrawlNot legal
Other
- TLRNot legal
All printings of Ethereal Ambush 12
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