Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker: Legendary Planeswalker - Bolas, Archenemy: Nicol Bolas. [+3]: Destroy target noncreature permanent. On Mana Grove.
- Mana cost
- {4}{U}{B}{B}{R}
- Mana value
- 8
- Type
- Legendary Planeswalker - Bolas
- Colour identity
- Blue, black and red (UBR)
- Loyalty
- 5
- Rarity
- Mythic
- Set
- Archenemy: Nicol Bolas (E01)
- Released
- 2017-06-16
- Collector number
- 85
- Artist
- Chris Rahn
Build around this card with Grover
About Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker is a Magic: The Gathering card, a mythic rare blue, black and red legendary planeswalker from Archenemy: Nicol Bolas (E01), released in June 2017. It is collector number 85 in that set, with art by Chris Rahn. It costs {4}{U}{B}{B}{R} (four generic, one blue, two black and one red mana) to cast, for a mana value of 8. It enters with 5 loyalty. Its colour identity is blue, black and red. It is legal in Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander, Oathbreaker, PreDH and Penny Dreadful. It has been printed in 8 sets, from Conflux (2009) to Mythic Edition (2018). The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $3.14 (normal finish, as of 2026-10-24).
Card text
[+3]: Destroy target noncreature permanent.
[−2]: Gain control of target creature.
[−9]: Nicol Bolas deals 7 damage to target player or planeswalker. That player or that planeswalker's controller discards seven cards, then sacrifices seven permanents of their choice.
Market price
Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $3.14 (as of 2026-10-24).
The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.
Format legality
Legality of Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.
| Modern | Legal |
|---|---|
| Legacy | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| PreDH | Legal |
| Penny Dreadful | Legal |
Other printings of Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker has been printed in 8 sets. The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.
| Printing | Rarity | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Media and Collaboration Promos (PMEI) #2025-10 | Mythic | 2025 |
| Secret Lair Drop (SLD) #1622 | Mythic | 2024 |
| Mythic Edition (MED) #GR4 | Mythic | 2018 |
| Magic Online Promos (PRM) #65009 | Mythic | 2017 |
| Magic 2013 (M13) #199 | Mythic | 2012 |
| Duel Decks: Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas (DDH) #42 | Mythic | 2011 |
| Conflux (CON) #120 | Mythic | 2009 |
Official rulings
Three official rulings apply to Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker, newest first.
- For the third ability, if the player is an illegal target when the ability tries to resolve, the ability doesn't resolve and none of its effects will happen. No damage will be dealt, no cards will be discarded, and no permanents will be sacrificed.
- If the damage from Nicol Bolas's third ability is prevented or redirected, the rest of the effect will still happen. Specifically, the number of cards discarded and permanents sacrificed isn't tied to the amount of damage dealt.
- The control-change effect has no duration. It will last until the game ends or the affected creature leaves the battlefield. It may be superseded by a later control-change effect.
Similar cards
Other planeswalker cards with a blue, black and red colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.