Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules

711. Double-Faced Cards

• 711.1. A double-faced card has a Magic card face on each side rather than a Magic card face on one side and a Magic card back on the other. There are two kinds of double-faced cards. Transforming double-faced cards include abilities on one or both of their faces that allow the card to “transform” (turn over to its other face) or allow the card to enter the battlefield “transformed” (with its back face up). Modal double-faced cards have two faces that are independent from one another and can’t transform.
• 711.1a A transforming double-faced card’s front face is marked by a front-face symbol in its upper left corner. 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 and Shadows over Innistrad 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.
• 711.1b A transforming double-faced card’s back face is marked by a back-face symbol in its upper left corner. 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 and Shadows over Innistrad 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.
• 711.1c The front face of a transforming 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.
• 711.1d 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.
• 711.1e 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.
• 711.1f 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.
• 711.1g Meld cards have a Magic card face on one side and half of an oversized Magic card face on the other. These aren’t double-faced cards and are subject to their own set of rules. See rule 712, “Meld Cards.”
• 711.2. Players who are allowed to look at a double-faced card may look at both faces.
• 711.3. 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.
• 711.4. Each face of a double-faced card has its own set of characteristics.
• 711.4a 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.
• 711.4b While a transforming double-faced spell is on the stack or a transforming double-faced permanent has its front face up, it has only the characteristics of its front face.
• 711.4c While a transforming 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 transforming double-faced card (even if the card representing that copy is itself a double-faced card), the mana value of that permanent is 0.
• 711.4d 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.
• 711.5. Only permanents represented by transforming double-faced cards can transform. (See rule 701.28, “Transform.”) If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform any permanent that isn’t represented by a transforming double-faced card, nothing happens.
• 711.6. If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform a permanent, and the face that permanent would transform into is represented by an instant or sorcery card face, nothing happens.
• 711.7. If a transforming double-faced card is cast as a spell, it’s put on the stack with its front face up. A player casting a modal double-faced card as a spell chooses which face they are casting before putting it onto the stack. See rule 601, “Casting Spells.”
• 711.7a 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.
• 711.8. A player playing 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.”
• 711.9. A resolving transforming double-faced spell is put onto the battlefield front face up. A resolving modal double-faced spell that becomes a permanent is put onto the battlefield with the same face up that was face up on the stack.
• 711.10. 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.
• 711.10a If a spell or ability puts a transforming double-faced card onto the battlefield “transformed,” it enters the battlefield with its back face up. If a player is instructed to put a card that isn’t a transforming double-faced card onto the battlefield transformed, that card stays in its current zone.
• 711.10b 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.
• 711.11. 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 707, “Face-Down Spells and Permanents.”
• 711.11a While face down, a transforming double-faced permanent can’t transform. If it’s turned face up, it will have its front face up.
• 711.12. 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.
• 711.13. 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.”
• 711.14. When a transforming double-faced permanent transforms, it doesn’t become a new object. Any effects that applied to that permanent will continue to apply to it after it transforms.
• 711.15. If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the player may name either face of a double-faced card but not both.