Smoky Lounge
Uncommon · Enchantment — Room · At the table
You may cast Misty Salon for four mana with blue even without red mana. Unlocking Smoky Lounge later is a separate red payment; sacrificing the Room loses both doors.
Mechanics
The set’s mechanics with worked examples, then every word on the cards.
Rooms and unlocking doors
A Room is one enchantment card with two doors. Cast either door for its own mana cost; that door becomes unlocked when the Room enters.
How it works
- To unlock a locked door already on the battlefield, pay that door's cost during your main phase with an empty stack. This is a special action, not casting a spell or an activated ability.
- Opponents cannot respond to the unlock payment itself. Resulting unlock triggers use the stack and can be answered. A Room put onto the battlefield without casting enters with both doors locked.
- Mana value uses the chosen door on the stack, the unlocked door or doors on the battlefield, and both printed costs combined elsewhere.
On the card
Central ElevatorWatch out
- Central Elevator excludes a Room sharing a currently unlocked name. Promising Stairs requires eight different unlocked names; duplicate names do not add to that count.
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- Examples are rules-derived · checked
Eerie
Eerie triggers when an enchantment enters under your control or when you fully unlock a Room. Fully unlocked means both doors are unlocked.
How it works
- Casting a Room normally causes one enchantment-entry event. Unlocking its remaining door later causes a separate full-unlock event.
- An enchantment creature token entering also qualifies. Making an existing creature into an enchantment does not make it enter again.
On the card
Gremlin Tamer
Uncommon · Creature — Human Scout · At the table
Grand Entryway enters and then makes a Glimmer enchantment creature, supplying two separate entry events for an existing Gremlin Tamer. Unlocking Elegant Rotunda later can give another eerie event.
Grand EntrywayWatch out
- Unlocking only one door of a Room with both doors locked is not a full unlock and does not itself trigger eerie.
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Manifest dread
Look at your top two cards, put one onto the battlefield face down as a colorless 2/2 creature, and put the other into your graveyard.
How it works
- A manifested creature has no inherent ward. If its underlying card is a creature card, you may pay its mana cost to turn it face up as a special action.
- Turning face up is not casting or entering again. Reveal the card when it leaves the battlefield or the game ends.
- Valgavoth's Onslaught and Weight Room finish placing their counters during resolution; there is no response window between manifesting and those counters.
On the card
Manifest Dread
Common · Sorcery · At the table
Growing Dread supplies a face-down body; turning a creature card face up later triggers its counter ability but does not repeat that creature's entry trigger.
Growing Dread
Weight RoomWatch out
- A manifested noncreature card cannot use the normal creature-mana-cost turn-up action, and you cannot respond to the special action itself.
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- Examples are rules-derived · checked
Survival
Survival rewards a creature that is tapped as your second main phase begins. The tapped condition is checked again when its trigger resolves.
How it works
- Attack safely or tap the creature with another effect before the phase begins. Tapping it after the phase starts is too late to create the trigger.
- Untapping the creature while it remains on the battlefield stops that trigger's reward. If it has left, use its last battlefield tapped status.
On the card
Cautious Survivor
Common · Creature — Elf Survivor · At the table
Use Clobbering before the second main phase to tap a Survivor while removing a threat. It can collect survival without being sent into an unfavorable attack.
Coordinated ClobberingWatch out
- Destroying an already-tapped Cautious Survivor after its trigger exists does not stop the life gain; its last tapped status still satisfies the condition.
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- Examples are rules-derived · checked
Impending
Casting an Overlord for its impending cost still casts an enchantment creature spell. It enters with time counters and is a noncreature enchantment while those counters remain.
How it works
- Its entry trigger still works. Remove a time counter at the beginning of each of your end steps; when the last is gone, it is a creature again.
- During the waiting period, enchantment removal can answer it even though creature-only removal cannot.
On the card
Overlord of the Mistmoors
Mythic · Enchantment Creature — Avatar Horror · At the table
An impending Mistmoors gives two flying Insects immediately. The Overlord itself waits for its counters to run out before it can attack or block.
Overlord of the FloodpitsWatch out
- An impending spell is still a creature spell on the stack, so it does not trigger prowess merely because it will enter as a noncreature.
Rules detail & sourcesWizards · Duskmourn: House of Horror mechanics · Wizards · Duskmourn: House of Horror release notes
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Delirium
Delirium requires at least four card types among cards in your graveyard. Several cards of one type still provide only that type.
How it works
- An enchantment creature contributes two types; an artifact creature likewise contributes two. Creature subtypes such as Horror and Toy are not card types.
- Continuous bonuses disappear immediately if the type count falls. Triggered abilities with an intervening condition check again on resolution.
On the card
Wildfire Wickerfolk
Uncommon · Artifact Creature — Scarecrow · At the table
A creature, instant and enchantment artifact can provide four types across three cards. Drag to the Roots still requires black and green after its generic discount.
Drag to the RootsWatch out
- Returning or exiling the only card of one type can turn delirium off, even when many cards remain in the graveyard.
Rules detail & sourcesWizards · Duskmourn: House of Horror mechanics · Wizards · Duskmourn: House of Horror release notes
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- Examples are rules-derived · checked
Glossary
Every word on the cards and in the deck plans, defined once. Find a term, read its wording, then see it on a card.
56 terms · A–ZComprehensive Rules effective Sep 25 · checked Oct 29
Symbols
+1/+1 and −1/−1 counters
CounterA +1/+1 counter adds one power and one toughness; a −1/−1 counter subtracts one of each. These counters stay until removed or the object changes zones.
Watch out: If a permanent has both kinds, matching pairs are removed as a state-based action. A temporary +1/+1 effect is not a counter.
Beastie Beatdown
Cackling Slasher
Cryptid InspectorC
Charge, quest, and time counters
CounterThese named counters track whatever the card’s abilities say. Their names alone do not give a universal bonus or penalty.
Watch out: For example, vanishing uses time counters as a countdown. Read the particular card before deciding what adding another counter will do.
Cursed Recording
Overlord of the Balemurk
Overlord of the BoilerbilgesConvoke
Keyword abilityWhile paying for this spell, each untapped creature you tap can cover one generic mana, or one mana of that creature’s color.
Watch out: You may tap a creature you just played. A colorless creature can cover only generic mana.
Dazzling Theater // Prop Room
The Wandering RescuerCouncil’s dilemma
Ability wordAn ability word that introduces voting. Follow the printed choices and resolve the effects for every vote, rather than only a winning majority. Expropriate gives an extra turn for each time vote and takes a permanent for each money vote.
ExpropriateCounter a spell or ability
Keyword actionTo counter a spell or ability is to remove it from the stack without its effects resolving. A countered spell normally goes to its owner’s graveyard.
Watch out: This use of “counter” is different from placing a marker such as a +1/+1 counter on a card.
Balustrade Wurm
Don't Make a Sound
Fear of ImpostorsCrew
Keyword abilityTap other untapped creatures you control with enough total power to turn this Vehicle into an artifact creature until the turn ends.
Watch out: The crew creatures do not become the Vehicle’s attackers. A newly played Vehicle still needs haste to attack that turn.
Hedge Shredder
Unidentified HovershipCurve
StrategyEnough useful low-cost plays to act before your expensive threats.
Cycling
Keyword abilityFrom your hand, pay the cycling cost and discard this card to draw a card.
Watch out: Cycling is an activated ability, not casting the card. Typecycling searches for a specified kind of card instead.
Bedhead Beastie
Daggermaw Megalodon
Shepherding SpiritsD
Deathtouch
Keyword abilityAny positive amount of damage this source deals to a creature is enough to make that damage lethal.
Watch out: It works with a fight or other noncombat damage. Indestructible still prevents destruction.
Derelict Attic // Widow's Walk
Dissection ToolsDefender
Keyword abilityThis creature cannot attack.
Watch out: It can still block and use its abilities unless something else prevents that.
Stalked ResearcherDelirium
Card mechanicDelirium requires at least four card types among cards in your graveyard. Several cards of one type still provide only that type. Returning or exiling the only card of one type can turn delirium off, even when many cards remain in the graveyard.
Demonic CounselDestroy
Keyword actionMove a permanent from the battlefield to its owner’s graveyard because an effect or lethal damage destroys it.
Watch out: Indestructible stops destruction. Sacrificing, exiling, and reducing toughness to 0 are different ways for a creature to leave.
Anthropede
Come Back Wrong
Cracked SkullDiscard
Keyword actionMove a card from your hand to your graveyard.
Watch out: Discarding is not casting. It does not pay the card’s mana cost or produce its normal spell effect.
Altanak, the Thrice-CalledDouble
Keyword actionFollow what the card doubles: power adds a matching power increase, counters add as many of each named kind as already exist, and a damage replacement changes that damage event. Doubling zero counters still adds zero.
Omnivorous Flytrap
The Rollercrusher RideDouble strike
Keyword abilityThis creature deals combat damage in the first-strike damage step and again in the normal damage step if it is still in combat.
Watch out: If its blocker dies in the first step, a blocked attacker does not hit the player in the second step unless an ability such as trample allows it.
Patched Plaything
Ticket Booth // Tunnel of HateE
Eerie
Card mechanicEerie triggers when an enchantment enters under your control or when you fully unlock a Room. Fully unlocked means both doors are unlocked. Unlocking only one door of a Room with both doors locked is not a full unlock and does not itself trigger eerie.
Balemurk Leech
Cult Healer
Dashing BloodsuckerEnchant
Keyword abilityAn Aura’s enchant line tells you what it may be attached to.
Watch out: An Aura cast as a spell targets what it will enchant. If it later becomes illegally attached, it normally goes to the graveyard.
Duskmourn's Domination
Ethereal ArmorEquip
Keyword abilityPay the equip cost to attach this Equipment to a target creature you control. Normally, activate equip only in your main phase when the stack is empty.
Watch out: The Equipment usually stays on the battlefield when the creature leaves. Moving it to another creature normally costs another equip activation.
Baseball Bat
Chainsaw
Conductive MacheteExile
Keyword actionMove the object to the exile zone. It is separate from the graveyard.
Watch out: A card in exile cannot normally be played. You need a rule or effect giving permission, such as a resolved Adventure.
Abhorrent Oculus
Betrayer's Bargain
Break Down the DoorF
Finality counters
CounterIf a permanent with a finality counter would go from the battlefield to a graveyard, exile it instead.
Watch out: It does not die when this replacement sends it to exile, so ordinary “dies” abilities do not trigger.
Meathook Massacre II
Resurrected CultistFirst strike
Keyword abilityThis creature deals combat damage in an earlier step, before creatures without first strike or double strike.
Watch out: A creature killed in that early damage step usually cannot deal its normal combat damage.
Most Valuable Slayer
Razorkin NeedleheadFlash
Keyword abilityYou may cast this spell when you could cast an instant, including during another player’s turn when you have priority.
Watch out: Flash changes when you may cast it. It does not let you cast from a different zone or avoid its costs.
Appendage Amalgam
Bear Trap
Enduring CuriosityFlashback
Keyword abilityYou may cast this instant or sorcery from your graveyard by paying its flashback cost.
Watch out: Follow its normal timing. A spell cast with flashback is exiled when it leaves the stack, even if it is countered.
Rite of the MothFlying
Keyword abilityAn attacking creature with flying can be blocked only by creatures with flying or reach.
Watch out: A flying creature can block a creature without flying.
Acrobatic Cheerleader
BroodspinnerForestcycling
Keyword abilityPay the stated cost and discard this card to find a Forest card in your library, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. The found land goes to your hand, not directly onto the battlefield.
Slavering BranchsnapperH
Haste
Keyword abilityThis creature may attack and use abilities with the tap or untap symbol even if you have not controlled it since your turn began.
Watch out: It still needs to be untapped to attack or pay a tap cost.
Clockwork Percussionist
Enduring CourageHexproof
Keyword abilityA permanent with hexproof cannot be targeted by spells or abilities its controller’s opponents control.
Watch out: Its controller may target it. Effects that do not target can still affect it.
Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
Nowhere to Run
Restricted Office // Lecture HallI
Impending
Card mechanicCasting an Overlord for its impending cost still casts an enchantment creature spell. It enters with time counters and is a noncreature enchantment while those counters remain. An impending spell is still a creature spell on the stack, so it does not trigger prowess merely because it will enter as a noncreature.
Indestructible
Keyword abilityThis permanent cannot be destroyed by lethal damage or an effect that says “destroy.”
Watch out: It can still be exiled or sacrificed. A creature with toughness 0 or less still goes to the graveyard.
Hardened Escort
Horrid Vigor
Popular EgotistIslandcycling
Keyword abilityPay the stated cost and discard this card to find a Island card in your library, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. The found land goes to your hand, not directly onto the battlefield.
K
Keyword counters
CounterA keyword counter grants its named ability, such as trample, to the object it is on.
Watch out: A trample counter is not a +1/+1 counter. The named ability and the creature’s size are separate.
Ghost VacuumL
Lifelink
Keyword abilityWhen this source deals damage, its controller gains that much life at the same time.
Watch out: This also works for noncombat damage. It uses the damage actually dealt, not simply the creature’s printed power.
Loyalty counters
CounterA planeswalker’s loyalty is the number of loyalty counters on it. Its loyalty costs add or remove counters, and damage removes that much loyalty.
Watch out: A planeswalker with 0 loyalty goes to the graveyard. Adding more counters does not let you activate it a second time in the same turn.
M
Manifest
Keyword actionPut the instructed card onto the battlefield face down as a colorless 2/2 creature without a name, mana cost or abilities. A creature card can normally turn face up by paying its mana cost; manifest dread adds the look-at-two choice and graveyard card.
Bashful BeastieManifest dread
Card mechanicLook at your top two cards, put one onto the battlefield face down as a colorless 2/2 creature, and put the other into your graveyard. A manifested noncreature card cannot use the normal creature-mana-cost turn-up action, and you cannot respond to the special action itself.
Menace
Keyword abilityThis attacking creature cannot be blocked by just one creature; at least two blockers are needed.
Watch out: It can still go unblocked. Losing one blocker after blocks are declared does not undo the original block.
Diversion Specialist
Fear of the DarkMill
Keyword actionPut the stated number of cards from the top of the named player’s library into that player’s graveyard.
Watch out: Milling is not drawing. An empty library makes you lose when you must draw from it, not merely when its last card is milled.
Greenhouse // Rickety Gazebo
Nashi, Searcher in the DarkN
Ninjutsu
Keyword abilityPay the ability cost, reveal this card from your hand and return an unblocked attacker you control to hand. Put the ninjutsu card onto the battlefield tapped and attacking; this is an activated ability, not casting a spell.
P
Plainscycling
Keyword abilityPay the stated cost and discard this card to find a Plains card in your library, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. The found land goes to your hand, not directly onto the battlefield.
R
Reach
Keyword abilityThis creature may block creatures with flying.
Watch out: Reach does not give it flying or make its own attacks harder to block.
Grasping LongneckRooms and unlocking doors
Card mechanicA Room is one enchantment card with two doors. Cast either door for its own mana cost; that door becomes unlocked when the Room enters. Central Elevator excludes a Room sharing a currently unlocked name. Promising Stairs requires eight different unlocked names; duplicate names do not add to that count.
Bottomless Pool // Locker Room
Charred Foyer // Warped SpaceS
Sacrifice
Keyword actionMove a permanent you control from the battlefield to its owner’s graveyard.
Watch out: Sacrifice is not destruction: indestructible does not stop it. You cannot sacrifice a teammate’s permanent unless an effect specifically permits it.
Attack-in-the-BoxSaga & lore counters
Card mechanicA Saga normally enters with a lore counter and gains another as your first main phase begins. Reaching chapter numbers triggers those chapter abilities.
Watch out: The new lore counter is not added during upkeep. When its final chapter ability is no longer on the stack, you normally sacrifice the Saga.
The Tale of TamiyoScry
Keyword actionLook at the stated number of cards from the top of your library. Put any number on the bottom and the rest back on top, choosing their order.
Watch out: Scry does not draw a card. Cards you move to the bottom do not go to the graveyard.
Niko, Light of HopeSignal
Strategy · DraftRepeated useful late cards may suggest an open color; one card is weak evidence.
Stun counters
CounterIf a permanent with a stun counter would untap, remove one stun counter instead and leave it tapped.
Watch out: The counter does not tap an untapped permanent by itself. Several stun counters can stop several separate untaps.
Fear of Immobility
Floodpits DrownerSupport
StrategyThe actual cards and mana that let a payoff work.
Surveil
Keyword actionLook at the stated number of cards from the top of your library. Put any number into your graveyard and the rest back on top in your chosen order.
Watch out: Surveil does not draw a card. Unlike scry, unwanted cards go to the graveyard instead of the bottom.
Survival
Card mechanicSurvival rewards a creature that is tapped as your second main phase begins. The tapped condition is checked again when its trigger resolves. Destroying an already-tapped Cautious Survivor after its trigger exists does not stop the life gain; its last tapped status still satisfies the condition.
Cynical LonerSwampcycling
Keyword abilityPay the stated cost and discard this card to find a Swamp card in your library, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. The found land goes to your hand, not directly onto the battlefield.
Spectral SnatcherT
Tap and untap
Keyword actionTap means turn a permanent sideways; untap means return it upright. A tap symbol in a cost means you must tap that permanent to pay.
Watch out: Being tapped by another effect does not activate an ability or produce mana. Creatures normally cannot pay their own tap-symbol costs until you have controlled them since your turn began.
Abandoned CampgroundTrample
Keyword abilityAn attacking creature can assign excess combat damage to what it is attacking after assigning lethal damage to every blocker.
Watch out: It does not automatically send all damage past a small blocker. Trample on a blocking creature does not send damage to the attacking player.
Fear of ExposureTreasure
TokenA standard Treasure token is an artifact you can tap and sacrifice to add one mana of any color.
Watch out: A Treasure is not a land. Using it spends the token; it does not remain for another turn.
Piggy BankTypecycling & landcycling
Keyword abilityFrom your hand, pay the listed cost and discard the card. Search your library for the named kind of card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Watch out: Basic landcycling finds a basic land. Mountaincycling finds a Mountain card; Halflingcycling finds a Halfling card. This does not put the found card onto the battlefield.
V
Vigilance
Keyword abilityAttacking does not tap this creature.
Watch out: It must still be untapped to be declared as an attacker. Vigilance does not remove summoning sickness.
Enduring VitalityW
Ward
Keyword abilityWhen an opponent’s spell or ability targets this permanent, ward triggers. That spell or ability is countered unless the opponent pays the ward cost.
Watch out: Ward is not hexproof: the opponent can target it and choose whether to pay. An effect that does not target does not trigger ward.
Lionheart Glimmer
Sheltered by Ghosts