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Manifest is a keyword action.

Details[]

This far back in Tarkir's past, the Spirit Dragon Ugin is very much alive. His magic, rooted in concealment and deception, appears as the new ability manifest.

When you manifest a card, you put it onto the battlefield face down. This disguises its true identity from your opponents. While face down, it's a 2/2 colorless creature with no name, no abilities, and no creature types. Face-down creatures are creatures in every way. They can attack and block, and spells and abilities that target creatures can target them. They can be enchanted by Auras and equipped by Equipment.

If you played with cards with morph in the Khans of Tarkir set (or older sets), you're already probably familiar with how face-down creatures work. In fact, manifested cards get their own sweet-looking overlay card to use as a reminder:

You can put this overlay card on one of your manifested creatures while it's on the battlefield. The overlay is just a reminder. You don't have to use it if you don't want to, and it doesn't change how face-down creatures function.

But, what fun is disguising your card's real identity if you can't later reveal it and surprise your opponent? Any time you have priority, you can turn a manifested creature face up if it's a creature card. You do this by revealing what its mana cost is and paying that cost. This also lets your opponents see that it's a creature card. As soon as the card is face up, it has its normal characteristics. If you manifest a noncreature card, it can't be turned face up this way. If you happen to manifest a card with morph, you can turn it face up either by paying its mana cost (if it's a creature card) or by paying its morph cost.

Turning a face-down creature face up doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to. The timing works out the same way it did with morph, so if you didn't catch the "Mechanics ofKhans of Tarkir" article, I recommend checking it out.

If the face-down creature has any counters on it, those remain on the face-up creature. It's not a new creature, and it doesn't enter the battlefield just by turning face up. Any Auras or Equipment attached to the manifested creature remain attached to it after it turns face up. There are three enchantments in Fate Reforged that manifest a card and then become an Aura attached to it.

If Rageform leaves the battlefield in response to its triggered ability, you'll still manifest the top card of your library. Once the ability resolves, Rageform is an Aura, so it will be put into the graveyard if the enchanted creature leaves the battlefield.

A few older cards turn a face-down creature face up. If you manifest an instant or sorcery card, and one of these older cards tries to turn it face up, reveal the card and it stays on the battlefield face down.

Comprehensive Rules[]

701.31. Manifest

  • 701.31a 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 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.
  • 701.31b 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 115.2b). 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.)
  • 701.31c If a card with morph is manifested, its controller may turn that card face up using either the procedure described in rule 702.36e to turn a face-down permanent with morph face up or the procedure described above to turn a manifested permanent face up.
  • 701.31d If an effect instructs a player to manifest multiple cards from his or her library, those cards are manifested one at a time.
  • 701.31e 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.
  • 701.31f See rule 707, “Face-Down Spells and Permanents,” for more information.
Keyword Actions
Evergreen ActivateAttachCastCounterDestroyDiscard
ExchangeExileFightPlayRegenerateReveal
SacrificeScrySearchShuffleTapUntap
Other AbandonBolsterClashDetainFatesealInvestigate
ManifestMonstrosityPlaneswalkPopulateProliferate
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