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Rules Q&A » Post: Athreos and face down creatures

Athreos and face down creatures

Jan. 16, 2015 12:53:14 PM

Tim Zimmerman
Judge (Level 2 (Judge Academy))

USA - South Central

Athreos and face down creatures

If Athreos, God of Passage is in play and a facedown creature I control dies, will my opponent get to see what the card is prior to choosing to pay 3 life?

I think they will since the creature died, hitting the graveyard forcing a reveal since a facedown card left the battlefield.

(SM: edited for card tag)

Edited Scott Marshall (Jan. 16, 2015 12:56:21 PM)

Jan. 16, 2015 01:00:48 PM

Scott Marshall
Forum Moderator
Judge (Level 4 (Judge Foundry)), Hall of Fame

USA - Southwest

Athreos and face down creatures

Originally posted by CR 707.9:

If a face-down permanent moves from the battlefield to any other zone, its owner must reveal it
to all players as he or she moves it.
So the face-down creature will be turned face up before it hits the graveyard and Athreos' trigger fires.

Perhaps a more interesting question - and I'll leave this part for the Rules NetReps - if a non-creature card is face-down (due to Manifest) and dies, will Athreos' trigger even fire? If it does, will it resolve?

Jan. 16, 2015 06:44:50 PM

Nathan Long
Forum Moderator
Judge (Level 2 (Judge Foundry))

USA - Southwest

Athreos and face down creatures

Athreos has a dies trigger, so we look at what the card looked like when it was last on the battlefield to see if Athreos should trigger. When it was last on the battlefield, the manifested card was a creature, so Athreos will trigger (even if it's not a creature card while in the graveyard). It's face up while in the graveyard, so your opponent will know what the card is well before the trigger from Athreos resolves.

For instance, let's say you manifested a Shock face down. When that manifested card dies, Athreos saw it was a creature, so Athreos will trigger. When it's in the graveyard, it's face up, so everyone knows that it's a Shock. When the trigger resolves, the targeted opponent chooses to either pay 3 life or let you get the Shock back into your hand.

Nathan Long
Wizards.Com Boards NetRep