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Commander Nexus
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  3. Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate

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Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate

Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate

Legendary Creature — Spirit Snake

Omarthis wants a deck that plays creatures face down and flips them for a surprise. It also suits a deck that keeps making its creatures bigger turn after turn.

  • Mana costXX
  • Colorless
  • Power / toughness0 / 0
  • RarityMythic

Omarthis enters with X +1/+1 counters on it.

Whenever you put one or more +1/+1 counters on another colorless creature, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Omarthis.

When Omarthis dies, manifest a number of cards from the top of your library equal to the number of counters on it.

Build a deck with Omarthis Find it in the app

Cards That Fit Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate

Picked for what they do in Omarthis's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Omarthis's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

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The 6 Cards

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The 6 Cards

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The 6 Cards

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The 6 Cards

Rulings for Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate

explain how Omarthis works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

 If a double-faced card is manifested, it will be put onto the battlefield face down. While face down, a transforming double-faced card can't transform or convert. If the front face of a face down double-faced card is a creature card, you can turn it face up by paying its mana cost. If you do, its front face will be up.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

A permanent that turns face up or face down changes characteristics but is otherwise the same permanent. Spells and abilities that were targeting that permanent, as well as Auras and Equipment that were attached to the permanent, aren't affected.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

Any time you have priority, you may turn a manifested creature face up by revealing that it's a creature card (ignoring any copy effects or type-changing effects that might be applying to it) and paying its mana cost. This is a special action. It doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

Because face-down creatures don't have names, they can't have the same name as any other creature, even another face-down creature.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

Because the permanent is on the battlefield both before and after it's turned face up, turning a permanent face up doesn't cause any enters-the-battlefield abilities to trigger.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

If a face-down permanent you control leaves the battlefield, you must reveal it. You must also reveal all face-down spells and permanents you control if you leave the game or if the game ends.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

If a manifested creature would have morph if it were face up, you may also turn it face up by paying its morph cost.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

If Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate's last ability causes its controller to manifest multiple cards, those cards are manifested one at a time.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

If something tries to turn a face-down instant or sorcery card on the battlefield face up, reveal that card to show all players it's an instant or sorcery card. The permanent remains on the battlefield face down. Abilities that trigger when a permanent turns face up won't trigger, because even though you revealed the card, it never turned face up.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate's second ability will trigger any time you put one or more counters on another colorless creature. This might be due to a spell or ability resolving or a colorless creature you control entering the battlefield with counters.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

The face-down permanent is a 2/2 creature with no name, mana cost, creature types, or abilities. It's colorless and has a mana value of 0. Other effects that apply to the permanent can still grant or change any of these characteristics.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

Turning a permanent face up or face down doesn't change whether that permanent is tapped or untapped.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

Unlike a face-down creature that was cast using the morph ability, a manifested creature may still be turned face up after it loses its abilities if it's a creature card.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

You can look at a face-down permanent you control any time. You can't look at face-down permanents you don't control unless an effect allows you to or instructs you to.

Wizards of the Coast 28 Jul 2023

You must ensure that your face-down spells and permanents can easily be differentiated from each other. You're not allowed to mix up the cards that represent them on the battlefield to confuse other players. The order they entered the battlefield should remain clear. Common methods for indicating this include using markers or dice, or simply placing them in order on the battlefield. You must also track how each became face down (manifested, cast face down using the morph ability, and so on).

15 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Omarthis, and what they share.

Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryMorphMorph decks play creatures face down, as mystery 2/2s for three mana, then flip them face up at the right moment for a surprise. Turning one face up costs its morph cost and can be done at almost any time, even on an opponent's turn.Open the Morph pageFace-Down / MorphLets you cast a card face down as a nameless 2/2 creature for 3 mana, hiding what it really is. Later you pay its morph cost to turn it face up, at almost any time, even in the middle of a fight.Open the Face-Down / Morph page+1/+1 Counters+1/+1 counter decks put small markers on their creatures that make each one permanently bigger, and keep adding more every turn. Each +1/+1 counter adds one to a creature's power (the damage it deals) and toughness (the damage it can take).Open the +1/+1 Counters pageCounter EngineAdds +1/+1 counters over and over rather than once. A counter here is a small permanent marker that raises a creature's power and toughness for good. It is not a counterspell, which is a different thing entirely. Something that adds them every turn makes your whole board bigger and keeps it that way. Hardened Scales, Corpsejack MenaceOpen the Counter Engine page+1/+1 CountersPuts +1/+1 counters on creatures, permanently raising their power and toughness. Unlike a temporary boost that wears off at end of turn, these markers stay put and stack up over a long game. Hardened Scales, The Great HengeOpen the +1/+1 Counters pageDeath TriggerTriggers when a creature dies, whether it is this creature, one of yours or an opponent's. These are the cards that pay you in an Aristocrats deck: something else makes creatures die, and these decide what you get each time. Blood Artist, Solemn SimulacrumOpen the Death Trigger pageAristocratsAristocrats decks sacrifice their own creatures on purpose and profit every time one dies, often by draining life from each opponent. A sacrifice outlet, a card that lets you sacrifice whenever you like, decides when that happens.Open the Aristocrats pageLibrary ManipulationCards that let you look at, rearrange or play from the top of your deck, so you control what you draw next.Open the Library Manipulation page