Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver (HOU #205)
Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver is a mythic printing from Hour of Devastation (HOU #205), a Legendary Planeswalker — Bolas. Illustrated by Svetlin Velinov.
Card text
+3: Each opponent loses 3 life unless that player sacrifices a nonland permanent of their choice or discards a card.
−3: Destroy target creature. Draw a card.
−11: Nicol Bolas deals 7 damage to each opponent. You draw seven cards.
Details
| Mana cost | {5}{U}{B}{R} |
|---|---|
| Type | Legendary Planeswalker — Bolas |
| Loyalty | 5 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Set | Hour of Devastation (HOU) |
| Collector number | 205 |
| Artist | Svetlin Velinov |
| Released | 2017-07-14 |
Current price
As of 2026-10-19, Scryfall listed this printing at foil $11.92 (USD). Prices change constantly, so check the live price before buying.
Buy Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver on TCGplayer
Legality
| Standard | Not legal |
|---|---|
| Future Standard | Not legal |
| Historic | Not legal |
| Timeless | Not legal |
| Gladiator | Not legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Pauper | Not legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Penny Dreadful | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Standard Brawl | Not legal |
| Brawl | Not legal |
| Competitive Brawl | Not legal |
| Alchemy | Not legal |
| Pauper Commander | Not legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Old School | Not legal |
| Premodern | Not legal |
| PrEDH | Not legal |
| TLR | Not legal |
Keep exploring
Search the MTGBrew card database for more cards, or build a deck with the AI Deck Builder.
Rulings
- July 14, 2017 — While resolving Nicol Bolas's first ability, your opponent chooses a card to be discarded without revealing it, chooses a nonland permanent to be sacrificed, or chooses to do neither. Then that player discards that card, sacrifices that permanent, or loses 3 life. Your opponent can always choose to lose 3 life, even if they have cards to discard or nonland permanents to sacrifice.
- July 14, 2017 — In a multiplayer game, each opponent in turn order makes their choice for Nicol Bolas's first ability, then all of the actions occur simultaneously. Opponents will know choices made by earlier opponents when making their choices, although a card chosen to be discarded this way isn't revealed until it's discarded.
- July 14, 2017 — If the target of Nicol Bolas's second ability becomes illegal, the ability doesn't resolve and you won't draw a card. If that target is legal but can't be destroyed, most likely because it has indestructible, you still draw a card.
- July 14, 2017 — If Nicol Bolas's third ability causes each opponent to have 0 or less life, but it also causes you to try to draw more cards than you have in your library, the game ends in a draw.
Decks that play it
Decks built with the MTGBrew AI Deck Builder that include Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver:
- Modern Ramp Deck (Strength 7) — Modern