Omens are a new type of split card introduced in Magic: The Gathering with Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Each omen consists of a creature and a nonpermanent spell, and, so far, the creature is always a dragon. In line with their name, omens are intended to hint at the arrival of a powerful creature before it actually comes into play.
Due to the specific rules governing how omens are resolved, they can create some questions when the game gets complicated. Here, we’ll clarify how the omen mechanic works and discuss some common situations you may face when including them in your deck.
How Do Omens Function In Magic: The Gathering?
When a creature card contains an omen, you can decide to either cast it as a creature or use it as a sorcery or instant, as specified in the omen section of the card (the left side of the text). If you opt to play the card as an omen, you should shuffle it back into your library after it resolves rather than sending it to the graveyard, which is the usual process.
Like other split cards, you must pick one way to play it; either as a creature or as an omen, paying the respective cost for the choice you make.
While a creature with an omen is on the battlefield, the omen text does not take effect. Likewise, if you cast the creature using its omen cost, none of its regular abilities (found on the right side of the card) will apply. You can only utilize the omen cost when the card is still in your hand; once it’s on the battlefield, it behaves as a regular creature.
It’s important to note that you cannot change whether you’re playing the card as a creature or an omen once it’s on the stack.
Key Points To Remember About Omens
If you cast a card as an omen and it fails to resolve (typically because it’s countered), it won’t shuffle back into your library as part of the omen’s effect. The shuffle only occurs after the omen successfully resolves. Similarly, if you play the card as a creature and it is destroyed, it goes to the graveyard as usual since the shuffle applies only when the omen is played.
Omens are always treated as creatures unless they are being cast as omens, and that only applies while they are on the stack. For instance, if you have an omen in your hand, it is treated as a creature. If you pay its omen cost, it turns into a sorcery while it’s on the stack but becomes a creature again once it resolves and goes back into your library.
Additionally, a card with an omen’s color, type, mana value, and other attributes are defined by the main card, which is the creature, except when the card is currently on the stack as an omen. When it is on the stack as an omen, those attributes reflect the miniature card indicated in the omen section of the text box. They revert back to the original values when the card leaves the stack.
