The Dark dk/en

Ashes to Ashes

Sorcery, 1BB (3)

Exile two target nonartifact creatures. Ashes to Ashes deals 5 damage to you.

"All rivers eventually run to the sea. My job is to sort out who goes first."
—Maeveen O'Donagh, Memoirs of a Soldier

Illus. Drew Tucker

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• 10/1/2009: If one of the targeted creatures is an illegal target by the time Ashes to Ashes resolves, it still exiles the other one and deals 5 damage to you.
• 10/1/2009: If both of the targeted creatures are illegal targets by the time Ashes to Ashes resolves, it's countered. It doesn't deal 5 damage to you.

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Classic (MTGO)
• Legal in Commander

Banshee

Creature — Spirit 0/1, 2BB (4)

{X}, {T}: Banshee deals half X damage, rounded down, to target creature or player, and half X damage, rounded up, to you.

Some say Banshees are the hounds of Death, baying to herd their prey into the arms of their master.

Illus. Jesper Myrfors

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• 10/1/2009: If the targeted creature or player is an illegal target by the time Banshee's ability resolves, the ability is countered. You won't be dealt damage.

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Classic (MTGO)
• Legal in Commander

Bog Imp

Creature — Imp 1/1, 1B (2)

Flying (This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with flying or reach.)

On guard for larger dangers, we underestimated the power and speed of the Imp's muck-crusted claws.

Illus. Ron Spencer

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Classic (MTGO)
• Legal in Commander
• Legal in Modern

Bog Rats

Creature — Rat 1/1, B (1)

Bog Rats can't be blocked by Walls.

Their stench was vile and strong enough, but not nearly as powerful as their hunger.

Illus. Ron Spencer

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Commander

Curse Artifact

Enchantment — Aura, 2BB (4)

Enchant artifact

At the beginning of the upkeep of enchanted artifact's controller, Curse Artifact deals 2 damage to that player unless he or she sacrifices that artifact.

Voska feared the artifact had come too easily.

Illus. Mark Tedin

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Commander

Eater of the Dead

Creature — Horror 3/4, 4B (5)

{0}: If Eater of the Dead is tapped, exile target creature card from a graveyard and untap Eater of the Dead.

Even the putrid muscles of the dead can provide strength to those loathsome enough to consume them.

Illus. Jesper Myrfors

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• 10/4/2004: It untaps during the resolution of its ability.
• 9/16/2007: You can activate the ability whether or not Eater of the Dead is tapped. However, if Eater of the Dead is untapped when the ability resolves, the ability won't do anything.
• 4/1/2008: A "creature card" is any card with the type Creature, even if it has other types such as Artifact, Enchantment, or Land. Older cards of type Summon are also Creature cards.

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Classic (MTGO)
• Legal in Commander

Frankenstein's Monster

Creature — Zombie 0/1, XBB (2)

As Frankenstein's Monster enters the battlefield, exile X creature cards from your graveyard. If you can't, put Frankenstein's Monster into its owner's graveyard instead of onto the battlefield. For each creature card exiled this way, Frankenstein's Monster enters the battlefield with a +2/+0, +1/+1, or +0/+2 counter on it.

Illus. Anson Maddocks

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• 10/4/2004: X can be any number and it does not have to match the total contents of your graveyard.
• 4/1/2008: A "creature card" is any card with the type Creature, even if it has other types such as Artifact, Enchantment, or Land. Older cards of type Summon are also Creature cards.

• Official Reprint Policy (This card is on the reserved list)

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Commander

Grave Robbers

Creature — Human Rogue 1/1, 1BB (3)

{B}, {T}: Exile target artifact card from a graveyard. You gain 2 life.

"If you don't have your health, you don't have anything." —Proverb

Illus. Quinton Hoover

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• 10/4/2004: If the target is not there on resolution, you do not gain the life.
• 10/4/2004: This exiles the artifact on resolution, but you choose it as a target when activating the ability.

• Official Reprint Policy (This card is on the reserved list)

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Commander

Inquisition

Sorcery, 2B (3)

Target player reveals his or her hand. Inquisition deals damage to that player equal to the number of white cards in his or her hand.

Many of those entrusted to Primata Delphine's care tended to express themselves with screams.

Illus. Anson Maddocks

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Commander

Marsh Gas

Instant, B (1)

All creatures get -2/-0 until end of turn.

"Comes right outta th' ground. If ya can smell it, it's too late." —Keevy Bogsbury

Illus. Douglas Shuler

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Commander

Murk Dwellers

Creature — Zombie 2/2, 3B (4)

Whenever Murk Dwellers attacks and isn't blocked, it gets +2/+0 until end of combat.

When Raganorn unsealed the catacombs, he found more than the dead and their treasures.

Illus. Drew Tucker

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• 4/15/2013: An ability that triggers when something "attacks and isn't blocked" triggers in the declare blockers step after blockers are declared if (1) that creature is attacking and (2) no creatures are declared to block it. It will trigger even if that creature was put onto the battlefield attacking rather than having been declared as an attacker in the declare attackers step.

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Commander

Nameless Race

Creature */*, 3B (4)

Trample

As Nameless Race enters the battlefield, pay any amount of life. The amount you pay can't be more than the total number of white nontoken permanents your opponents control plus the total number of white cards in their graveyards.

Nameless Race's power and toughness are each equal to the life paid as it entered the battlefield.

Illus. Quinton Hoover

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• 10/4/2004: If put onto the battlefield by a spell or ability, you pay life during the resolution of that spell or ability.
• 10/4/2004: The life payment is made just as the card is being put onto the battlefield.
• 10/1/2007: This currently has no creature type. It's Nameless.

• Official Reprint Policy (This card is on the reserved list)

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Commander

Rag Man

Creature — Human Minion 2/1, 2BB (4)

{B}{B}{B}, {T}: Target opponent reveals his or her hand and discards a creature card at random. Activate this ability only during your turn.

"Aw, he's just a silly, dirty little man. What's to be afraid of?"

Illus. Daniel Gelon

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Classic (MTGO)
• Legal in Commander

Season of the Witch

Enchantment, BBB (3)

At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Season of the Witch unless you pay 2 life.

At the beginning of the end step, destroy all untapped creatures that didn't attack this turn, except for creatures that couldn't attack.

Illus. Jesper Myrfors

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• 10/4/2004: Any creatures which can't attack for some reason are exempted from the effect.
• 10/4/2004: You are not forced to do everything in your power to make something attack. But if you do enable something to attack, and then don't, it will die.
• 10/4/2004: It looks back to see which creatures could have attacked during the "declare attackers" step of combat even if this card was not on the battlefield when the attack was declared.
• 10/4/2004: It checks at the end of every turn.

• Official Reprint Policy (This card is on the reserved list)

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Commander

The Fallen

Creature — Zombie 2/3, 1BBB (4)

At the beginning of your upkeep, The Fallen deals 1 damage to each opponent it has dealt damage to this game.

Magic often masters those who cannot master it.

Illus. Jesper Myrfors

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• 10/4/2004: It stops damaging players and forgets which players it damaged when it leaves the battlefield.
• 9/16/2007: If The Fallen phases out and back in, it remembers which players it has dealt damage to this game.
• 9/16/2007: The Fallen's ability causes it to deal damage only to opponents of its current controller. If The Fallen has dealt damage to you, and then you gain control of it, you won't be damaged during your upkeep.
• 9/16/2007: The effect isn't cumulative. When it resolves, The Fallen deals 1 damage to each opponent previously dealt damage by it, regardless of how many times The Fallen dealt damage to that opponent before.

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Classic (MTGO)
• Legal in Commander

Uncle Istvan

Creature — Human 1/3, 1BBB (4)

Prevent all damage that would be dealt to Uncle Istvan by creatures.

Solitude drove the old hermit insane. Now he only keeps company with those he can catch.

Illus. Daniel Gelon

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• 10/4/2004: Works even on damage from activated abilities of creatures such as Prodigal Sorcerer.

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Classic (MTGO)
• Legal in Commander
• Legal in Modern

Word of Binding

Sorcery, XBB (2)

Tap X target creatures.

"That was the worst experience of my days, standing there helpless as they killed my whole troop." —Maeveen O'Donagh, Memoirs of a Soldier

Illus. Ron Spencer

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Commander

Worms of the Earth

Enchantment, 2BBB (5)

Players can't play lands.

Lands can't enter the battlefield.

At the beginning of each upkeep, any player may sacrifice two lands or have Worms of the Earth deal 5 damage to him or her. If a player does either, destroy Worms of the Earth.

The ground collapsed, leaving nothing but the great Worms' mucous residues.

Illus. Anson Maddocks

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• 10/4/2004: Land can't enter the battlefield, so an effect that "puts a land onto the battlefield" won't do anything, and the land will stay where it is.
• 10/4/2004: If you cast a spell or activate an ability that lets you put a land onto the battlefield, the effect fails. You'll still do everything else the spell or ability tells you to do, such as shuffle the library.
• 5/1/2006: In Two-Headed Giant, triggers only once per upkeep, not once for each player.
• 8/1/2008: If a permanent spell tries to enter the battlefield as a land during its resolution (for instance, a Clone entering the battlefield as a copy of a Dryad Arbor or an animated Mutavault), it is put into its owner's graveyard instead of entering the battlefield. It never enters the battlefield, so abilities that would have triggered on it entering the battlefield won't trigger.

• Official Reprint Policy (This card is on the reserved list)

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Commander

Amnesia

Sorcery, 3UUU (6)

Target player reveals his or her hand and discards all nonland cards.

"When one has witnessed the unspeakable, 'tis sometimes better to forget." —Vervamon the Elder

Illus. Mark Poole

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• 10/4/2004: If cast targeting yourself, you do have to reveal your hand.

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Classic (MTGO)
• Legal in Commander

Apprentice Wizard

Creature — Human Wizard 0/1, 1UU (3)

{U}, {T}: Add {3} to your mana pool.

Illus. Dan Frazier

Gatherer Card Rulings?, Legality?

• Legal in Vintage (Type 1)
• Legal in Legacy (Type 1.5)
• Legal in Classic (MTGO)
• Legal in Commander