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Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver

Magic: The GatheringHour of Devastation#205

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Magic: The Gathering

Mana cost

Hour of DevastationHOU · #205
Card type
Legendary Planeswalker — Bolas
Rarity
Mythic rare
Indicative price
★ 7.23 € · ★ 9.91 $
Mana value
8
Loyalty
5
Colour
Blue Black Red

Card text

[+3]: Each opponent loses 3 life unless that player sacrifices a nonland permanent of their choice or discards a card. [−3]: Destroy target creature. Draw a card. [−11]: Nicol Bolas deals 7 damage to each opponent. You draw seven cards.

Format legality

  • CommanderLegal
  • DuelLegal
  • LegacyLegal
  • ModernLegal
  • OathbreakerLegal
  • PennyLegal
  • PioneerLegal
  • VintageLegal

Legalities follow the imported catalogue; check format rules before a tournament.
Data imported on 2026-10-06 (UTC).

Indicative Scryfall prices, updated daily. ★: foil; ★ E: etched foil. EUR and USD represent different markets.

Printing information

Illustrator
Svetlin Velinov
Card language
English
Release date
2017-07-14

Rulings

If Nicol Bolas's third ability causes each opponent to have 0 or less life, but it also causes you to try to draw more cards than you have in your library, the game ends in a draw.

If the target of Nicol Bolas's second ability becomes illegal, the ability doesn't resolve and you won't draw a card. If that target is legal but can't be destroyed, most likely because it has indestructible, you still draw a card.

In a multiplayer game, each opponent in turn order makes their choice for Nicol Bolas's first ability, then all of the actions occur simultaneously. Opponents will know choices made by earlier opponents when making their choices, although a card chosen to be discarded this way isn't revealed until it's discarded.

While resolving Nicol Bolas's first ability, your opponent chooses a card to be discarded without revealing it, chooses a nonland permanent to be sacrificed, or chooses to do neither. Then that player discards that card, sacrifices that permanent, or loses 3 life. Your opponent can always choose to lose 3 life, even if they have cards to discard or nonland permanents to sacrifice.

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