Emet-Selch, Unsundered

Rulings

13 official rulings, in the order Wizards published them.

• 2025-06-06

  Each nonmodal double-faced card in this release is cast face up. In every zone other than the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of its front face. If it is on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that's up; the other face's characteristics are ignored.

• 2025-06-06

  If a Hades, Sorcerer of Eld you control is destroyed by a spell you own, Hades will be exiled and then the spell will be put into your graveyard. Conversely, if a Hades you control is dealt lethal damage by a spell you own, the spell will be exiled, and then Hades will be exiled as well.

• 2025-06-06

  While you control Hades, Sorcerer of Eld, abilities that trigger whenever a permanent you own is put into your graveyard from the battlefield (for example, "When this creature dies . . .") won't trigger.

• 2025-06-06

  If you are instructed to put a card that isn't a double-faced card onto the battlefield transformed, it will not enter at all. In that case, it stays in the zone it was previously in. For example, if a single-faced card is a copy of Crystal Fragments, it will be exiled during the resolution of its second ability and remain in exile.

• 2025-06-06

  A nonmodal double-faced card enters with its front face up by default, unless a spell or ability instructs you to put it onto the battlefield transformed or allows you to cast it transformed, in which case it enters with its back face up.

• 2025-06-06

  The mana value of a nonmodal double-faced card is the mana value of its front face, no matter which face is up.

• 2025-06-06

  The back face of a nonmodal double-faced card usually has a color indicator that defines its color.

• 2025-06-06

  If you discard a card while you control Hades, Sorcerer of Eld, abilities that function when a card is discarded (such as madness) still work, even though that card never reaches your graveyard. In addition, spells or abilities that check the characteristics of a discarded card (such as connive) can find that card in exile.

• 2025-06-06

  A token that is created as a copy of a double-faced permanent or a double-faced card in another zone is a double-faced token. It will have both the front face and back face of whatever object it's copying. If it's copying a double-faced permanent whose back face is up, the token will enter with its back face up. It can transform if instructed to do so.

• 2025-06-06

  Emet-Selch's last ability checks your graveyard at the moment it would trigger to see if you have fourteen or more cards in your graveyard. If you don't, the ability won't trigger at all. If it does trigger, the ability will check again as it tries to resolve. If you don't have fourteen or more cards in your graveyard at that time, the ability won't resolve and none of its effects will happen.

• 2025-06-06

  You pay all costs and follow all timing rules for cards played with the permission granted by Hades, Sorcerer of Eld's second ability.

• 2025-06-06

  Each face of a nonmodal double-faced card has its own set of characteristics: name, types, subtypes, abilities, and so on. While a nonmodal double-faced permanent is on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that's currently up. The other set of characteristics is ignored.

• 2025-06-06

  In the Commander variant, a double-faced card's color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered. For example, Cecil, Dark Knight's color identity is black and white, since its front face is black and its back face has a white color indicator.

Rulings are Wizards of the Coast's own, mirrored from Scryfall and refreshed nightly.

In the 99

Every deck whose current list includes Emet-Selch, Unsundered, whatever its commander.