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Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen

Nicol Bolas, the Ravager

one generic manaone blue manaone black manaone red manaLegendary Creature — Elder DragonPower and toughness4/4

Card text

Flying

When Nicol Bolas enters, each opponent discards a card.

four generic manaone blue manaone black manaone red mana: Exile Nicol Bolas, then return him to the battlefield transformed under his owner's control. Activate only as a sorcery.

Nicol Bolas, the Arisen

Legendary Planeswalker — BolasLoyalty7

Card text

: Draw two cards.

: Nicol Bolas deals 10 damage to target creature or planeswalker.

: Put target creature or planeswalker card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control.

: Exile all but the bottom card of target player's library.

Showing Core Set 2019#218

Price

17.44 $

Foil 38.04 $

15 printings · up to 29.17 $

Daily estimate from Scryfall, not a shop quote.

Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen rulings

  • When Nicol Bolas's enters-the-battlefield triggered ability resolves, first the next opponent in turn order (or, if it's an opponent's turn, that opponent) chooses a card in their hand without revealing it, then each other opponent in turn order does the same. Then all the chosen cards are discarded at the same time.

  • If Nicol Bolas leaves the battlefield after his creature face's activated ability has been activated but before it resolves, the card remains in whichever zone it moves to. It won't be exiled or return transformed.

  • Each face of a double-faced card has its own set of characteristics: name, types, subtypes, abilities, and so on. While a double-faced card is on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that's currently up. The other set of characteristics is ignored.

  • While a double-faced card isn't on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of its front face. For example, Nicol Bolas has the characteristics of its creature face in the graveyard, even if it was a planeswalker on the battlefield before it was put into the graveyard.

  • A double-faced card enters the battlefield with its front face up by default, unless a spell or ability instructs you to put it onto the battlefield transformed, in which case it enters with its back face up. The back face of a double-faced card can't be played.

  • If another permanent that isn't a double-faced card (such as Mirror Image) becomes a copy of Nicol Bolas, the Ravager, activating the ability to exile it and return it transformed will only exile it. It won't return to the battlefield at all.

  • In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, any permanents you control from Nicol Bolas's third loyalty ability that came from other players' graveyards are exiled.

  • The mana value of a double-faced card is the mana value of its front face, even while it's on the battlefield with its back face up. For example, the mana value of Nicol Bolas, the Arisen is 4.

  • Nicol Bolas, the Arisen has a color indicator on its typeline. This color indicator means that it's a blue, black, and red permanent.

  • You can activate one of the planeswalker's loyalty abilities the turn it enters the battlefield.

  • In some rare cases, a spell or ability may cause Nicol Bolas to transform while it's a creature on the battlefield. If this happens, the resulting planeswalker won't have any loyalty counters on it and will subsequently be put into its owner's graveyard.

Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen keyword rules

Flying Rule 702.9

Flying is an evasion ability.

A creature with flying can’t be blocked except by creatures with flying and/or reach. A creature with flying can block a creature with or without flying. (See rule , “Declare Blockers Step,” and rule , “Reach.”)

Multiple instances of flying on the same creature are redundant.

Transform Rule 701.28

To transform a permanent, turn it over so that its other face is up. Only transforming tokens and permanents represented by transforming double-faced cards can transform. (See rule , “Double-Faced Cards.”)

Although transforming a permanent uses the same physical action as turning a permanent face up or face down, they are different game actions. Abilities that trigger when a permanent is turned face down won’t trigger when that permanent transforms, and so on.

If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform a permanent that isn’t represented by a transforming token or a transforming double-faced card, nothing happens.

If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform a permanent, and the face that permanent would transform into is represented by an instant or sorcery card face, or is a transforming token that was created with an instant or sorcery face, nothing happens.

Some triggered abilities trigger when an object “transforms into” an object with a specified characteristic. Such an ability triggers if the object either transforms or converts (see rule ) and has the specified characteristic immediately after it does so.

If an activated or triggered ability of a permanent that isn’t a delayed triggered ability of that permanent tries to transform it, the permanent does so only if it hasn’t transformed or converted since the ability was put onto the stack. If a delayed triggered ability of a permanent tries to transform that permanent, the permanent does so only if it hasn’t transformed or converted since that delayed triggered ability was created. In both cases, if the permanent has already transformed or converted, an instruction to do either is ignored.

Some spells and abilities refer to a “transformed permanent.” This phrase refers to a permanent on the battlefield with its back face up that’s also a transforming double-faced card or a transforming token. A permanent with its front face up is never considered a transformed permanent, even if it had its back face up previously.

Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen format legality

Constructed

  • StandardNot legal
  • PioneerLegal
  • ModernLegal
  • Future StandardNot legal

Eternal

  • LegacyLegal
  • VintageLegal
  • PauperNot legal
  • PremodernNot legal
  • Old SchoolNot legal
  • Penny DreadfulLegal

Commander

  • CommanderLegal
  • OathbreakerLegal
  • Pauper CommanderNot legal
  • Duel CommanderLegal
  • PreDHNot legal

Arena & online

  • HistoricLegal
  • TimelessLegal
  • AlchemyNot legal
  • GladiatorLegal
  • BrawlLegal
  • Standard BrawlNot legal
  • Competitive BrawlLegal

Other

  • TLRNot legal

All printings of Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen 15

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Card data

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