Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen

Card text

Flying

When Nicol Bolas enters, each opponent discards a card.

{4}{U}{B}{R}: Exile Nicol Bolas, then return him to the battlefield transformed under his owner's control. Activate only as a sorcery.

Market price

Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $19.83 (as of 2026-10-23).

The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.

Format legality

Legality of Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.

Other printings of Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen

Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen has been printed in 4 sets. The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.

Official rulings

The 8 most recent official rulings for Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen, newest first.

• 2018-07-13 While a double-faced card isn't on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of its front face. For example, Nicol Bolas has the characteristics of its creature face in the graveyard, even if it was a planeswalker on the battlefield before it was put into the graveyard.
• 2018-07-13 The mana value of a double-faced card is the mana value of its front face, even while it's on the battlefield with its back face up. For example, the mana value of Nicol Bolas, the Arisen is 4.
• 2018-07-13 A double-faced card enters the battlefield with its front face up by default, unless a spell or ability instructs you to put it onto the battlefield transformed, in which case it enters with its back face up. The back face of a double-faced card can't be played.
• 2018-07-13 Nicol Bolas, the Arisen has a color indicator on its typeline. This color indicator means that it's a blue, black, and red permanent.
• 2018-07-13 In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, any permanents you control from Nicol Bolas's third loyalty ability that came from other players' graveyards are exiled.
• 2018-07-13 If another permanent that isn't a double-faced card (such as Mirror Image) becomes a copy of Nicol Bolas, the Ravager, activating the ability to exile it and return it transformed will only exile it. It won't return to the battlefield at all.
• 2018-07-13 In some rare cases, a spell or ability may cause Nicol Bolas to transform while it's a creature on the battlefield. If this happens, the resulting planeswalker won't have any loyalty counters on it and will subsequently be put into its owner's graveyard.
• 2018-07-13 Each face of a double-faced card has its own set of characteristics: name, types, subtypes, abilities, and so on. While a double-faced card is on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that's currently up. The other set of characteristics is ignored.

Similar cards

Other creature cards with a blue, black and red colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.

• Kefka, Court Mage // Kefka, Ruler of Ruin
• Kess, Dissident Mage
• Sauron, the Dark Lord
• Nekusar, the Mindrazer
• Saruman, the White Hand
• Fire Lord Azula
• Marchesa, the Black Rose