A double-faced card has a Magic card face on one side and either a Magic card face or half of an oversized card face on the other. (It does not have a Magic card back.) There are three kinds of double-faced cards: nonmodal double-faced cards (previously called “transforming double-faced cards”), modal double-faced cards, and meld cards.
712Double-Faced Cards
Nonmodal double-faced cards have a Magic card face on each side and include abilities on one or both of their faces that allow the card to either “transform” or “convert” (turn over to its other face) and/or allow the card to be cast or enter the battlefield “transformed” or “converted” (with its back face up).
A nonmodal double-faced card’s front face is marked by a front-face symbol in its upper left corner. On cards printed starting with The Brothers’ War™ release, that symbol is a single white triangle pointed upward inside a black circle. Nonmodal double-faced cards printed in older sets have different front-face symbols. On Magic Origins™ and Core Set 2019 double-faced cards, the front-face symbol is a modified Planeswalker icon. On cards in the Innistrad® block, Shadows over Innistrad set, and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt set, as well as on Ulrich of the Krallenhorde in the Eldritch Moon™ set, the front-face symbol is a sun. On other Eldritch Moon double-faced cards, the front-face symbol is a full moon. On Ixalan® and Rivals of Ixalan™ cards, the front-face symbol is a compass rose. On Kamigawa®: Neon Dynasty double-faced cards, the front-face symbol is a closed fan.
A nonmodal double-faced card’s back face is marked by a back-face symbol in its upper left or upper right corner. On cards printed starting with The Brothers’ War release, that symbol is a single white triangle pointed downward inside a black circle. Nonmodal double-faced cards printed in older sets have different front-face symbols. On Magic Origins and Core Set 2019 double-faced cards, the back-face symbol is a full Planeswalker icon. On cards in the Innistrad block, Shadows over Innistrad set, and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt set, as well as on Ulrich, Uncontested Alpha in the Eldritch Moon set, the back-face symbol is a crescent moon. On other Eldritch Moon double-faced cards, the back-face symbol is a stylized image of Emrakul. On Ixalan and Rivals of Ixalan cards, the back-face symbol is a land icon. On Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty double-faced cards, the back-face symbol is an open fan.
The front face of a nonmodal double-faced card whose back face is a creature has the back face’s power and toughness printed in gray above the power and toughness box. This is reminder text and has no effect on game play.
Modal double-faced cards have a Magic card face on each side. These faces are usually independent from one another, but they may have an ability that allows them to “transform” or “convert” on either face.
A modal double-faced card’s front face is marked by a front-face symbol in its upper left corner. The front-face symbol is a single black triangle inside a sideways teardrop.
A modal double-faced card’s back face is marked by a back-face symbol in its upper left corner. The back-face symbol is two white triangles inside a sideways teardrop.
Each face of a modal double-faced card includes a hint bar in the lower left corner with information about the opposite face. This is reminder text and has no effect on game play.
Meld cards have a Magic card face on one side and half of an oversized card face on the other.
One card in each meld pair has an ability that exiles both that object and its counterpart and melds them. To meld the two cards in a meld pair, put them onto the battlefield with their back faces up and combined (see rule 701.42, “Meld”). The resulting permanent is a single object represented by two cards.
The back faces of a meld pair are used only to determine the characteristics of the melded permanent that pair becomes on the battlefield. If a rule or effect references the back face of a meld card when not part of a melded permanent on the battlefield, it fails to determine its characteristics, regardless of which parts of the melded permanent is represented on that card’s back face.
Unlike other double-faced cards, meld cards cannot be transformed or converted. Any instructions to do so are ignored.
There are seven specific meld pairs.
Midnight Scavengers and Graf Rats meld to form Chittering Host.
Hanweir Garrison and Hanweir Battlements meld to form Hanweir, the Writhing Township.
Bruna, the Fading Light and Gisela, the Broken Blade meld to form Brisela, Voice of Nightmares.
Phyrexian Dragon Engine and Mishra, Claimed by Gix meld to form Mishra, Lost to Phyrexia.
The Mightstone and Weakstone and Urza, Lord Protector meld to form Urza, Planeswalker.
Argoth, Sanctum of Nature and Titania, Voice of Gaea meld to form Titania, Gaea Incarnate.
Fang, Fearless l’Cie and Vanille, Cheerful l’Cie meld to form Ragnarok, Divine Deliverance.
Players who are allowed to look at a double-faced card may look at both sides of that card.
Players must ensure that double-faced cards in hidden zones are indistinguishable from other cards in the same zone. To do this, the owner of a double-faced card may use completely opaque card sleeves and/or a substitute card (see rule 713). Sanctioned tournaments have additional rules for playing with double-faced cards. See rule 100.6.
Each face of a double-faced card that isn’t a meld card has its own set of characteristics. The front face of each meld card and the combined face formed by a meld pair each has its own set of characteristics.
While a double-faced card is outside the game or in a zone other than the battlefield or stack, it has only the characteristics of its front face.
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A meld card on the stack has only the characteristics of its front face.
Normally, a nonmodal double-faced spell has its front face up while on the stack and has only the characteristics of its front face. However, if an effect allows a player to cast a nonmodal double-faced card “transformed” or “converted,” the resulting spell will have its back face up and have only the characteristics of its back face. Its mana value is calculated using the mana cost of its front face.
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While a double-faced permanent has its front face up, it has only the characteristics of its front face.
While a nonmodal double-faced permanent has its back face up, it has only the characteristics of its back face. However, its mana value is calculated using the mana cost of its front face. If a permanent is copying the back face of a nonmodal double-faced permanent (even if the object representing that copy is itself a double-faced permanent), the mana value of that permanent is 0. See rule 202.3b.
While a modal double-faced spell is on the stack or a modal double-faced permanent is on the battlefield, it has only the characteristics of the face that’s up.
While the two cards of a meld pair are on the battlefield as a melded permanent, the object represented by those cards has only the characteristics of the combined back face, and its mana value is the sum of the mana values of its front faces. If a permanent is copying a melded permanent, the mana value of the copy is 0. See rule 202.3c.
Only permanents represented by double-faced tokens and double-faced cards that are not meld cards can transform or convert. (See rule 701.27, “Transform,” and rule 701.28, “Convert.”) If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform or convert any permanent that isn’t represented by a double-faced token or a double-faced card, nothing happens.
Example: A Clone enters the battlefield as a copy of Wildblood Pack (the back face of a double-faced card). The Clone will be a copy of the Wildblood Pack. Because the Clone is itself not a double-faced card, it can’t transform.
Example: A player casts Cytoshape, causing a Kruin Outlaw (the front face of a double-faced card) to become a copy of Elite Vanguard (a 2/1 Human Soldier creature) until end of turn. The player then casts Moonmist, which reads, in part, “Transform all Humans.” Because the copy of Elite Vanguard is a double-faced card, it will transform. The resulting permanent will have its back face up, but it will still be a copy of Elite Vanguard that turn.
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If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform or convert a permanent, and the face that permanent would transform or convert into is an instant or sorcery card face, or is a double-faced token that was created with an instant or sorcery face, nothing happens.
A double-faced spell is cast with its front face up by default. See rule 601, “Casting Spells.”
If a double-faced card or a copy of a double-faced card is cast as a spell “transformed” or “converted,” it’s put on the stack with its back face up.
A player casting a modal double-faced card or a copy of a modal double-faced card as a spell chooses which face they are casting before putting it onto the stack.
Only the face that will be face up on the stack is evaluated to determine if it can be cast. Only that face is considered to be put onto the stack.
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If an ability of a double-faced card’s front face allows it to be cast “transformed” or “converted,” that ability is also considered when evaluating that spell to determine if it can be cast. This is an exception to 712.11c.
A player playing a modal double-faced card or a copy of a modal double-faced card as a land chooses one of its faces that’s a land before putting it onto the battlefield. It enters the battlefield with that face up. See rule 305, “Lands.”
By default, a resolving double-faced spell that becomes a permanent is put onto the battlefield with the same face up that was face up on the stack.
Some abilities may cause a double-faced spell with its front face up on the stack to enter the battlefield transformed or converted. If the back face of the card that represents that spell is an instant or sorcery face, or that spell is a copy of a double-faced card created with an instant or sorcery back face, it doesn’t enter the battlefield, and is instead put into its owner’s graveyard.
Example: A player controls both Mycosynth Lattice and March of the Machines, the combined effects of which make all permanents artifact creatures in addition to their other types. They also control a Clone on the battlefield that is a copy of Bird Admirer, a creature with daybound. It is currently night, but that permanent can’t transform because it isn’t represented by a double-faced card. Its controller casts Mystic Reflection targeting it, then casts Invasion of Kylem, a Siege battle whose back face is a sorcery. Because Invasion of Kylem is entering the battlefield as a creature, Mystic Reflection’s replacement effect applies to it and it tries to enter the battlefield as a copy of Bird Admirer. Since it is night, the daybound ability would normally cause it to enter with its back face up. However, since its back face is a sorcery, it is instead put into its owner’s graveyard.
A double-faced card put onto the battlefield from a zone other than the stack enters the battlefield with its front face up by default.
If a spell or ability puts a double-faced card onto the battlefield “transformed” or “converted,” it enters the battlefield with its back face up. If a player is instructed to put a card that isn’t a double-faced card onto the battlefield transformed or converted, that card stays in its current zone.
If a player is instructed to put a modal double-faced card onto the battlefield and its front face isn’t a permanent card, the card stays in its current zone.
If a meld card is being melded with its counterpart, those cards enter the battlefield as a single permanent with their back faces up.
If an effect allows a player to cast a double-faced card as a face-down creature spell, or if a double-faced card enters the battlefield face down, it will have the characteristics given to it by the rule or effect that caused it to be face down. That card remains hidden, using a face-down substitute card (see rule 713) and/or opaque sleeves. See rule 708, “Face-Down Spells and Permanents.”
While face down, a double-faced permanent can’t transform or convert. If it’s turned face up, it will have its front face up.
Melded permanents and other double-faced permanents can’t be turned face down. If a spell or ability tries to turn a double-faced permanent face down, nothing happens and that effect doesn’t change any of its characteristics or their copiable values.
A double-faced card that is exiled face down remains hidden, using a face-down substitute card and/or opaque sleeves. See rule 713, “Substitute Cards.”
When a double-faced permanent transforms or converts, it doesn’t become a new object. Any effects that applied to that permanent will continue to apply to it.
Example: An effect gives Village Ironsmith (the front face of a double-faced card) +2/+2 until end of turn and then Village Ironsmith transforms into Ironfang. Ironfang will continue to get +2/+2 until end of turn.
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If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the player may choose the name of either face of a double-faced card but not both. The player may choose the name of the combined back face of a meld pair.
If a double-faced card would have an “As [this permanent] transforms . . .” ability after it transforms or converts, that ability is applied while that permanent is transforming or converting, not afterward.
If a melded permanent leaves the battlefield, one permanent leaves the battlefield and two cards are put into the appropriate zone.
Example: Chittering Host, a melded permanent, dies. An ability that triggers “whenever a creature dies” triggers once. An ability that triggers “whenever a card is put into a graveyard from anywhere” triggers twice.
If a melded permanent is put into its owner’s graveyard or library, that player may arrange the two cards in any order. If it’s put into its owner’s library, that player doesn’t reveal the order.
If a player exiles a melded permanent, that player determines the relative timestamp order of the two cards at that time. This is an exception to the procedure described in rule 613.7m.
Example: Duplicant is a card with the abilities “When Duplicant enters, you may exile target nontoken creature” and “As long as a card exiled with Duplicant is a creature card, Duplicant has the power, toughness, and creature types of the last creature card exiled with Duplicant. It’s still a Shapeshifter.” As Duplicant’s first ability exiles Chittering Host, a melded permanent, Duplicant’s controller chooses whether the last creature card exiled is Midnight Scavengers or Graf Rats.
If an effect can find the new object that a melded permanent becomes as it leaves the battlefield, it finds both cards. (See rule 400.7.) If that effect causes actions to be taken upon those cards, the same actions are taken upon each of them.
Example: Otherworldly Journey is an instant that reads “Exile target creature. At the beginning of the next end step, return that card to the battlefield under its owner’s control with a +1/+1 counter on it.” A player casts Otherworldly Journey targeting Chittering Host, a melded permanent. Chittering Host is exiled. At the beginning of the next end step, Midnight Scavengers and Graf Rats are both returned to the battlefield, each with a +1/+1 counter on it.
Example: False Demise is an Aura with the ability “When enchanted creature dies, return that card to the battlefield under your control.” A Chittering Host enchanted by False Demise dies. The triggered ability returns both Midnight Scavengers and Graf Rats to the battlefield.
Example: Mimic Vat is an artifact that reads, in part, “Whenever a nontoken creature dies, you may exile that card.” A Chittering Host dies. As Mimic Vat’s triggered ability resolves, its controller makes a single choice and both cards that represented Chittering Host are either exiled or not.
If multiple replacement effects could be applied to the event of a melded permanent leaving the battlefield or being put into the new zone, applying one of those replacement effects to one of the two cards affects both cards. If the melded permanent is a commander, it may be exempt from this rule; see rules 903.9b–c.
Example: Leyline of the Void is an enchantment that reads, in part, “If a card would be put into an opponent’s graveyard from anywhere, exile it instead.” Wheel of Sun and Moon is an Aura with enchant player and the ability “If a card would be put into enchanted player’s graveyard from anywhere, instead that card is revealed and put on the bottom of its owner’s library.” If the controller of Chittering Host is affected by both cards’ effects, that player chooses one effect to apply to the event and Midnight Scavengers and Graf Rats are both moved to the appropriate zone.
If an effect needs to know the number of objects that changed zones, a melded permanent among those objects counts as one object that moved. If the effect needs to know the number of cards that changed zones, that melded permanent counts as two cards that moved.