GENERAL NOTES
Flashback
The official rules for the flashback ability are as follows:
502.22. Flashback
502.22a Flashback is a static ability of some instant and sorcery cards that
functions while the card is in a player's graveyard. The phrase "Flashback
[cost]" means "You may play this card from your graveyard by paying [cost]
rather than paying its mana cost. If you do, remove this card from the game
instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack." Playing
a spell using its flashback ability follows the rules for paying alternative
costs in rules 409.1b and 409.1f.
* When you play a spell from your graveyard by paying its flashback cost, its
mana cost doesn't change. You just pay the flashback cost instead.
* Effects that cause you to pay more or less for a spell will cause you to pay
that much more or less for its flashback cost, too. That's because they affect
the total cost of the spell, not just its mana cost.
* When a spell played with flashback resolves, it never goes to its owner's
graveyard, so abilities that trigger on cards being put in a graveyard won't
trigger. The card is removed from the game instead. Countered spells played with
flashback are removed from the game, too.
* Cards with the flashback ability have a gray tombstone icon in the upper left
corner. This icon makes it easier for you to see which cards in your graveyard
can be played again.
Threshold
The official rules for the threshold ability are as follows:
502.23. Threshold
502.23a Threshold is a static ability, written "Threshold -- [text]." The text
can be a static ability, activated ability, triggered ability,
characteristic-setting text, spell text, or any combination of the five. The
phrase "Threshold -- [text]" means "As long as you have seven or more cards in
your graveyard, this card has '[text].'"
502.23b Cards and permanents with threshold have the threshold text only if
their controller has seven or more cards in his or her graveyard. Otherwise, the
text after "Threshold --" is treated as though it did not appear on the card or
permanent.
502.23c An instant or sorcery card with threshold has the threshold text only
while the card is on the stack (that is, while it's a spell). An artifact,
creature, enchantment, or land card with threshold, or any permanent with
threshold, has the threshold text only if the card or permanent is in play.
* Instants and sorceries with threshold check if seven or more cards are in your
graveyard when they resolve, not when they're played or put on the stack.
* Activated and triggered abilities that permanents have at threshold check the
number of cards in your graveyard only when the abilities are played or
triggered. Even if you have fewer than seven cards in your graveyard when an
ability resolves, that ability will resolve normally.
* Static threshold abilities are simply "on" when you have seven or more cards
in your graveyard and "off" when you don't.
Protection
There are four new protection abilities in the Odyssey set.
* Protection from all colors: This grants a creature five different protection
abilities. These are protection from white, from blue, from black, from red, and
from green.
* Protection from creatures: A creature with this ability can't be blocked by
creatures, it can't be the target of abilities from creatures, and all damage
that would be dealt to it from creatures is prevented.
* Protection from enchantments: A creature with this ability can't be blocked by
creatures that are also enchantments. It can't be the target of enchantment
spells or abilities from enchantments. All damage that would be dealt to it from
enchantments is prevented. The creature can't be enchanted by enchantments.
* Protection from instant spells and from sorcery spells: A permanent with this
ability can't be the target of instant spells or sorcery spells. If the
permanent is a creature, all damage that would be dealt to it from instant
spells and sorcery spells is prevented.
Shrines and Bursts
* The five Shrines and five Bursts all have effects that depend on the number of
cards with a certain name in all graveyards. A Shrine looks for cards with the
same name as a spell on the stack. A Burst looks for cards with the same name as
itself.
Dwarven Shrine
1 ManaRed ManaRed Mana
Enchantment
Whenever a player plays a spell, Dwarven Shrine deals X damage to that player,
where X is twice the number of cards in all graveyards with the same name as
that spell.
Flame Burst
1 ManaRed Mana
Instant
Flame Burst deals X damage to target creature or player, where X is 2 plus the
number of Flame Burst cards in all graveyards.
* Two cards, Diligent Farmhand and Pardic Firecat, are also counted by Bursts.
Muscle Burst's effect counts both Muscle Burst cards and Diligent Farmhand cards
in all graveyards. Flame Burst's effect counts both Flame Burst cards and Pardic
Firecat cards.
Pardic Firecat
3 ManaRed Mana
Creature -- Cat
2/3
Haste
If Pardic Firecat is in a graveyard, Flame Burst's effect counts it as a Flame
Burst.
* The Shrines are Aven Shrine, Cabal Shrine, Cephalid Shrine, Dwarven Shrine,
and Nantuko Shrine.
* The Bursts are AEther Burst, Flame Burst, Life Burst, Mind Burst, and Muscle
Burst.
Rites
* Each of the five Rites allows you to discard any number of cards from your
hand to get a varying effect from the spell. The cards are discarded when the
Rites spell resolves, so you don't discard any cards if the spell is countered.
Sacred Rites
White Mana
Instant
Discard any number of cards from your hand. Creatures you control get +0/+1
until end of turn for each card discarded this way.
* The Rites are Last Rites, Rites of Initiation, Rites of Refusal, Rites of
Spring, and Sacred Rites.
Spheres
* The five Spheres prevent 2 damage to you each time a source of the appropriate
color would deal damage to you. If a source would deal damage to you more than
once in a turn, the Sphere prevents 2 of that damage each time the source deals
damage to you.
Sphere of Duty
3 ManaWhite Mana
Enchantment
If a green source would deal damage to you, prevent 2 of that damage.
* The Spheres are Sphere of Duty, Sphere of Grace, Sphere of Law, Sphere of
Reason, and Sphere of Truth.
"Punisher" cards
* Three red spells, nicknamed "punisher" spells, force players to choose how the
spells will affect them. When a punisher spell resolves, the player whose
creature, land, or spell would be affected must choose whether to take damage or
allow the spell's normal effect to work.
Lava Blister
1 ManaRed Mana
Sorcery
Destroy target nonbasic land unless its controller has Lava Blister deal 6
damage to him or her.
* Damage that the punisher spell would deal to the player may be prevented.
* The punisher cards are Blazing Salvo, Lava Blister, and Molten Influence.
CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES
Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor
4 Mana Blue Mana Blue Mana
Creature -- Cephalid Legend
3/3
Tap an untapped Cephalid you control: Tap target permanent.
Blue ManaBlue ManaBlue Mana: Tap all creatures without flying.
* Aboshan's abilities don't include the Tap symbol. You can play them even if
you haven't controlled Aboshan since the beginning of your most recent turn.
* The first ability can tap any type of permanent, including enchantments.
Tapped enchantments work just like untapped enchantments.
Aegis of Honor
White Mana
Enchantment
1 Mana: The next time an instant or sorcery spell would deal damage to you this
turn, that spell deals that damage to its controller instead.
* This effect only redirects damage that would have been dealt to you. It
doesn't affect damage that the instant or sorcery would deal to creatures or any
other player.
AEther Burst
1 Mana Blue Mana
Instant
Return up to X target creatures to their owners' hands, where X is one plus the
number of AEther Burst cards in all graveyards as you play AEther Burst.
* If more AEther Burst cards are put into a graveyard after AEther Burst has
been played (and before it resolves), you don't get to choose additional targets
for AEther Burst.
Aura Graft
1 Mana Blue Mana
Instant
Move target enchantment that's enchanting a permanent to another permanent it
can enchant. Gain control of that enchantment. (This effect doesn't end at end
of turn.)
* Because of the unintuitive interaction of the printed wording with
enchantments that "can enchant only a creature you control," Aura Graft has
received errata. Its new wording is as follows:
Gain control of target enchantment that's enchanting a permanent. Move that
enchantment to another permanent it can enchant. (This effect doesn't end at end
of turn.)
* When Aura Graft resolves, you gain control of the enchantment. Then, you
choose another permanent to move the enchantment to. You can choose only a
permanent that the enchantment can enchant.
* Because you gain control of the enchantment, you can play any abilities it
has.
* When Aura Graft resolves, you must move the enchantment if there's another
permanent for the enchantment to legally enchant, even if one of your opponent's
creatures is the only legal choice.
Balancing Act
2 Mana White Mana White Mana
Sorcery
Each player chooses a number of permanents he or she controls equal to the
number of permanents controlled by the player who controls the fewest, then
sacrifices the rest. Each player discards cards from his or her hand the same
way.
* When Balancing Act resolves, count each player's permanents and find the
smallest number of permanents controlled by one player. Each player chooses that
many of his or her permanents and sacrifices the rest of them. Then count the
number of cards in each player's hand and find the smallest number of cards.
Each player discards all but that many cards.
Beloved Chaplain
1 Mana White Mana
Creature -- Cleric
1/1
Protection from creatures
* See "protection" in the GENERAL NOTES section.
Bomb Squad
3 Mana Red Mana
Creature -- Dwarf
1/1
Tap: Put a fuse counter on target creature.
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a fuse counter on each creature with a fuse
counter on it.
Whenever a creature has four or more fuse counters on it, remove all fuse
counters from it and destroy it. That creature deals 4 damage to its controller.
* Even if the destroyed creature is regenerated, the fuse counters are removed
from it and the regenerated creature deals 4 damage to its controller.
Cease-Fire
2 Mana White Mana
Instant
Target player can't play creature spells this turn.
Draw a card.
* Cease-Fire can't counter a creature spell on the stack. It stops the player
from playing creature spells only after Cease-Fire resolves.
Chamber of Manipulation
2 Mana Blue Mana Blue Mana
Enchant Land
Enchanted land has "Tap, Discard a card from your hand: Gain control of target
creature until end of turn."
* The creature doesn't gain haste, so it normally can't attack or use abilities
with Tap in the activation cost when you gain control of it.
Chance Encounter
2 Mana Red Mana Red Mana
Enchantment
Whenever you win a coin flip, put a luck counter on Chance Encounter.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Chance Encounter has ten or more luck
counters on it, you win the game.
* If one of your opponents loses a coin flip, you win that flip and put a luck
counter on Chance Encounter.
Charmed Pendant
4 Mana
Artifact
Tap, Put the top card of your library into your graveyard: For each colored mana
symbol in that card's mana cost, add one mana of that color to your mana pool.
Play this ability only any time you could play an instant. (For example, if the
card's mana cost is 3 ManaBlue ManaBlue ManaBlack Mana, you add Blue ManaBlue
ManaBlack Mana to your mana pool.)
* Charmed Pendant's ability doesn't use the stack. Even though it can be played
only when you could play an instant, this is a mana ability.
Cultural Exchange
4 Mana Blue Mana Blue Mana
Sorcery
Choose any number of creatures target player controls. Choose the same number of
creatures another target player controls. Those players exchange control of
those creatures. (This effect doesn't end at end of turn.)
* You choose the creatures when Cultural Exchange resolves. The number of
creatures you choose can't be greater than the number of creatures a player
controls. For example, if one of the two players controls four creatures and the
other controls eight, you can choose to exchange up to four creatures.
Decimate
2 Mana Red Mana Green Mana
Sorcery
Destroy target artifact, target creature, target enchantment, and target land.
* You can't play this spell without four legal targets, and all the targets must
be different permanents.
Delaying Shield
3 Mana White Mana
Enchantment
If you would be dealt damage, put that many delay counters on Delaying Shield
instead.
At the beginning of your upkeep, remove all delay counters from Delaying Shield.
For each delay counter removed this way, you lose 1 life unless you pay 1
ManaWhite Mana.
* The first ability replaces damage rather than preventing it, so Delaying
Shield will affect Urza's Rage with kicker.
* If Delaying Shield leaves play before its upkeep-triggered ability resolves,
you won't be able to remove any counters from Delaying Shield and you won't lose
any life.
Devoted Caretaker
White Mana
Creature -- Cleric
1/2
White Mana, Tap: Target permanent you control gains protection from instant
spells and from sorcery spells until end of turn.
* See "protection" in the GENERAL NOTES section.
Ghastly Demise
Black Mana
Instant
Destroy target nonblack creature if its toughness is less than or equal to the
number of cards in your graveyard.
* You check the number of cards in your graveyard only when Ghastly Demise
resolves. (The Ghastly Demise won't be in a graveyard yet.)
Gorilla Titan
3 Mana Green Mana Green Mana
Creature -- Ape
4/4
Trample
Gorilla Titan gets +4/+4 as long as there are no cards in your graveyard.
* If you have no cards in your graveyard, Gorilla Titan is an 8/8 creature. If
one or more cards are in your graveyard, the Titan is a 4/4 creature.
Haunting Echoes
3 Mana Black Mana Black Mana
Sorcery
Remove all cards in target player's graveyard other than basic land cards from
the game. Search that player's library for all cards with the same name as cards
removed this way and remove them from the game. Then that player shuffles his or
her library.
* Haunting Echoes doesn't affect basic land cards at all. Any basic land cards
in the player's graveyard and library stay where they are.
Hint of Insanity
2 Mana Black Mana
Sorcery
Target player reveals his or her hand. That player discards from it all nonland
cards with the same name as another card in his or her hand.
* If the player has two or more nonland cards with the same name in his or her
hand, that player discards all those cards.
* Cards in that player's hand that don't share a name with other cards are
unaffected.
Holistic Wisdom
1 Mana Green Mana Green Mana
Enchantment
2 Mana, Remove a card in your hand from the game: Return target card from your
graveyard to your hand if it shares a type with the card removed this way. (The
card types are artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, and sorcery.)
* Artifact creature cards share a type with artifact cards, creature cards, and
artifact creature cards.
Impulsive Maneuvers
2 Mana Red Mana Red Mana
Enchantment
Whenever a creature attacks, flip a coin. If you win the flip, the next time
that creature would deal combat damage this turn, it deals double that damage
instead. If you lose the flip, the next time that creature would deal combat
damage this turn, prevent that damage.
* You flip a coin for each attacking creature, not once for each attack.
Iridescent Angel
5 Mana White Mana Blue Mana
Creature -- Angel
4/4
Flying, protection from all colors
* See "protection" in the GENERAL NOTES section.
Karmic Justice
2 Mana White Mana
Enchantment
Whenever a spell or ability an opponent controls destroys a noncreature
permanent you control, you may destroy target permanent that opponent controls.
* Spells and abilities that force players to sacrifice permanents won't trigger
Karmic Justice's ability.
Kirtar's Wrath
4 Mana White Mana White Mana
Sorcery
Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated.
Threshold -- Instead destroy all creatures, then put two 1/1 white Spirit
creature tokens with flying into play. Creatures destroyed this way can't be
regenerated. (You have threshold if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)
* As Kirtar's Wrath resolves, the destroyed creatures don't count towards the
number of cards in your graveyard; neither does Kirtar's Wrath.
Master Apothecary
White Mana White Mana White Mana
Creature -- Cleric
2/2
Tap an untapped Cleric you control: Prevent the next 2 damage that would be
dealt to target creature or player this turn.
* Master Apothecary's ability doesn't include the Tap symbol. You can play the
ability even if you haven't controlled Master Apothecary since the beginning of
your most recent turn.
Mirari
5 Mana
Legendary Artifact
Whenever you play an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay 3 Mana. If you do,
put a copy of that spell onto the stack. You may choose new targets for that
copy.
* This ability triggers only once for each instant or sorcery you play, so you
can't use Mirari to copy the same spell twice.
* The copy will be the same as the original spell, except that you can choose
different targets for it if you want to. If the original spell is countered,
that has no effect on the copy.
* If a kicker cost was paid for the spell, the kicker cost of the copy has also
been paid. You don't have to (and can't) pay the kicker cost again.
* If the spell was played without kicker, the copy is also put on the stack
without kicker. You can't pay the kicker cost for the copy.
* The copy of the spell isn't played -- it's just put onto the stack -- so it
won't trigger any ability that triggers when a spell is played.
* Once the copy of the spell is on the stack, it works just like any other
spell. It can be countered by spells and abilities that "counter target spell."
Nantuko Mentor
2 Mana Green Mana
Creature -- Insect Druid
1/1
2 ManaGreen Mana, Tap: Target creature gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is
that creature's power.
* The value of X is set when Nantuko Mentor's ability resolves. The effect won't
change if the creature's power changes later in the turn.
Nefarious Lich
Black Mana Black Mana Black Mana Black Mana
Enchantment
If you would be dealt damage, remove that many cards in your graveyard from the
game instead. If you can't, you lose the game.
If you would gain life, draw that many cards instead.
When Nefarious Lich leaves play, you lose the game.
* Your life total will still change if you pay life or lose life. Nefarious Lich
won't stop you from losing the game if you have 0 or less life.
* If you're dealt damage and can't remove enough cards from your graveyard, you
lose the game immediately. You don't wait until state-based effects are checked.
Obstinate Familiar
Red Mana
Creature -- Lizard
1/1
If you would draw a card, you may skip that draw instead.
* If you would draw multiple cards, you can choose to draw some, all, or none of
those cards.
Pardic Miner
1 Mana Red Mana
Creature -- Dwarf
1/1
Sacrifice Pardic Miner: Target player can't play lands this turn.
* Pardic Miner's ability won't stop lands from coming into play as part of an
effect. It just stops the player from playing lands.
* Playing a land doesn't use the stack.
Patriarch's Desire
3 Mana Black Mana
Enchant Creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/-2.
Threshold -- Enchanted creature gets an additional +2/-2. (You have threshold as
long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)
* If you aren't at threshold, this card gives the enchanted creature +2/-2. If
you are at threshold, the card gives the enchanted creature +4/-4 instead.
Patron Wizard
Blue Mana Blue Mana Blue Mana
Creature -- Wizard
2/2
Tap an untapped Wizard you control: Counter target spell unless its controller
pays 1 Mana.
* Patron Wizard's ability doesn't include the Tap symbol. You can play its
ability even if you haven't controlled Patron Wizard since the beginning of your
most recent turn.
Puppeteer
2 Mana Blue Mana
Creature -- Wizard
1/2
Blue Mana, Tap: Tap or untap target creature.
* You don't choose whether you will tap or untap the creature until Puppeteer's
ability resolves.
* You can choose to tap a creature that's already tapped, or untap one that's
already untapped. If you do, nothing happens.
Recoup
1 Mana Red Mana
Sorcery
Target sorcery card in your graveyard gains flashback until end of turn. Its
flashback cost is equal to its mana cost. (Mana cost includes color.)
Flashback 3 ManaRed Mana(You may play this card from your graveyard for its
flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)
* See "flashback" in the GENERAL NOTES section.
* If the sorcery already has flashback, it gains a second flashback ability. You
can play that spell by paying either flashback cost.
Repentant Vampire
3 Mana Black Mana Black Mana
Creature -- Vampire
Flying
Whenever a creature dealt damage by Repentant Vampire this turn is put into a
graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on Repentant Vampire.
Threshold -- Repentant Vampire is white and has "Tap: Destroy target black
creature."
* At threshold, Repentant Vampire is only white; it isn't white and black.
Seton, Krosan Protector
Green Mana Green Mana Green Mana
Creature -- Centaur Druid Legend
2/2
Tap an untapped Druid you control: Add Green Mana to your mana pool.
* Seton's ability doesn't include the Tap symbol. You can play the ability even
if you haven't controlled Seton since the beginning of your most recent turn.
Shadowmage Infiltrator
1 Mana Blue Mana Black Mana
Creature -- Wizard
1/3
Shadowmage Infiltrator can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or
black creatures.
Whenever Shadowmage Infiltrator deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a
card.
* If Shadowmage Infiltrator's combat damage is prevented, you don't get to draw
a card.
* Jon Finkel created this card as his prize for winning the 2000 MagicŪ
Invitational in Sydney, Australia. He is featured in the card's art.
Shifty Doppelganger
2 Mana Blue Mana
Creature -- Shapeshifter
1/1
3 ManaBlue Mana, Remove Shifty Doppelganger from the game: Put a creature card
from your hand into play. That creature gains haste until end of turn. At end of
turn, sacrifice that creature. If you do, return Shifty Doppelganger to play.
* If you have any creature cards in your hand when Shifty Doppelganger's ability
resolves, you must put one of them into play.
* If the creature you put into play is still in play under your control at the
end of the turn, you must sacrifice that creature.
Spellbane Centaur
2 Mana Green Mana
Creature -- Centaur
3/2
Creatures you control can't be the targets of blue spells or abilities from blue
sources.
* Spellbane Centaur's ability won't remove blue enchantments from creatures you
control. An enchantment that's already in play isn't a spell or ability and
doesn't target anything.
Standstill
1 Mana Blue Mana
Enchantment
When a player plays a spell, sacrifice Standstill. If you do, each of that
player's opponents draws three cards.
* If Standstill is in play when its ability resolves, it must be sacrificed and
each opponent of the player who played the spell draws three cards. If
Standstill isn't in play when its ability resolves, nothing happens.
Steam Vines
1 Mana Red Mana Red Mana
Enchant Land
When enchanted land becomes tapped, destroy it and Steam Vines deals 1 damage to
that land's controller. That player moves Steam Vines to a land of his or her
choice.
* The controller of the destroyed land chooses where to move Steam Vines.
* Moving Steam Vines to another land doesn't target that land.
* If no lands are in play after Steam Vines' ability resolves, Steam Vines will
be put in its owner's graveyard the next time a player has priority.
* If Steam Vines isn't in play when its ability resolves, it will still destroy
the land that was tapped and deal 1 damage to that land's controller, but Steam
Vines won't be moved onto another land.
Tattoo Ward
2 Mana White Mana
Enchant Creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has protection from enchantments. This effect
doesn't remove Tattoo Ward.
Sacrifice Tattoo Ward: Destroy target enchantment.
* See "protection" in the GENERAL NOTES section.
Traumatize
3 Mana Blue Mana Blue Mana
Sorcery
Target player puts the top half of his or her library, rounded down, into his or
her graveyard.
* To resolve Traumatize, first count how many cards the player has in his or her
library and divide that number by two. (If the player has an odd number of
cards, subtract one before dividing by two.) Then count out that many cards from
the top of the player's library. That player puts those cards into his or her
graveyard in any order he or she chooses.
Traveling Plague
3 Mana Black Mana Black Mana
Enchant Creature
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, put a plague counter on Traveling
Plague.
Enchanted creature gets -1/-1 for each plague counter on Traveling Plague.
When enchanted creature leaves play, that creature's controller returns
Traveling Plague from its owner's graveyard to play.
* A plague counter is put on Traveling Plague at the beginning of every player's
upkeep.
* If the enchanted creature has 0-toughness, both the enchanted creature and the
Traveling Plague are put into their owners' graveyards. Then the Traveling
Plague (with no counters on it) is returned to play by the player whose creature
it last enchanted.
* The player whose creature was enchanted by Traveling Plague when the creature
left play chooses which creature the Plague will enchant when it returns.
Wayward Angel
4 Mana White Mana White Mana
Creature -- Angel Horror
Flying
Attacking doesn't cause Wayward Angel to tap.
Threshold -- Wayward Angel gets +3/+3, is black, has trample, and has "At the
beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a creature." (You have threshold as long as
seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)
* At threshold, Wayward Angel is only black; it isn't white and black.
Wild Mongrel
1 Mana Green Mana
Creature -- Hound
2/2
Discard a card from your hand: Wild Mongrel gets +1/+1 and becomes the color of
your choice until end of turn.
* The Mongrel's ability can make it only one color at a time. You can change
that color each time you play its ability.