<p>You can search for cards that have a CMC of 0 but don't have a mana cost of 0 or that contains X. <a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&amp;cmc=+=[0]&amp;mana=+!=[0]+!=[X]+!=[XX]+!=[XXX]&amp;type=+![land]">Here</a> is an example on Gatherer. Many of them are transform cards or tokens.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-05T04:02:07.757Z
You can also skip both Innistrad blocks and Magic Origins to ditch the transform cards, leaving just the tokens and the real no-cost cards.
Cascabel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-05T12:25:17.593Z
Instead of excluding each different occurance of `X`, you could include `mana=+!=[0]+!~[X]` and get the same result. This is safe to use even in case a card with even more Xs as costs is printed.
TheThirdMan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-04T19:01:17.917Z
2016-10-04T19:01:17.917Z
KSFT
<p>You can actually directly search for all cards without a mana cost (or, more specifically, an empty mana cost) like this [<a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&amp;mana=+=[]" rel="nofollow">direct link</a>]:</p>

<pre><code>http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&amp;mana=+=[]
</code></pre>

<p>This can be input directly in the Advanced Search by submitting <code>Mana Cost</code> <code>and</code> <code>=</code>, without adding any value to the field.</p>

<p><a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&amp;mana=+=[]&amp;type=+![&quot;Land&quot;]+![&quot;Token&quot;]" rel="nofollow">This query also excludes lands and some tokens</a>.</p>

<hr>

<p>As far as I can see, there's no simple way to exclude the back faces of cards without excluding entire editions they appear in, or excluding their names one by one. The only data-wise unique qualifier is that the collector number contains <code>b</code>, however Gatherer doesn't seem to offer a search query for the collector number.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-05T12:29:57.637Z
The results of the second search you linked to include tokens.
KSFT
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-05T12:35:10.477Z
@KSFT: Wow, you're correct... I fixed the link declaration, as I can't seem to come up with a query that reliably excludes tokens in general.
TheThirdMan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-05T12:08:51.087Z
2016-10-05T12:31:45.480Z
2016-10-05T12:31:45.480Z
TheThirdMan
<p><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bAncestral%20Vision%5d">Ancestral Vision</a> is an example of a card with a total absence of any casting cost: you can't cast it the ordinary way. In this case, you have to cast it using its Suspend ability.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/rnR6D.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/rnR6D.jpg" alt=""></a></p>

<p>I've just found that I have <em>no idea</em> how to search for these cards in Gatherer or in MagicCards.info. I can search for cards with a mana cost or converted mana cost of 0, but that also gets me cards like <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bAccorder%27s%5d%2b%5bShield%5d">Accorder&#39;s Shield</a>.</p>

<p>How can I search up cards <em>with no mana cost</em> in either Gatherer or MagicCards.info?</p>

<p>Lands are also in this category &mdash; it's fine if this search turns lands up as well; I can exclude those by their type easily enough.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-04T19:34:26.437Z
Looking at MagicCards.info it looks like for their their system doesn't differentiate between a mana cost of 0 and a mana cost of NULL, so the only way I could find involved various hacks like excluding Kobolds that aren't necessarily future proof...
diego
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-05T12:24:14.677Z
@diego It's ok if the only viable method is via Gatherer. Thanks for taking a look into it.
doppelgreener
<magic-the-gathering>
How do I search for cards without a casting cost (excluding {0})?
doppelgreener
# How do I search for cards without a casting cost (excluding {0})?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-10-04)

[Ancestral Vision](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bAncestral%20Vision%5d) is an example of a card with a total absence of any casting cost: you can't cast it the ordinary way. In this case, you have to cast it using its Suspend ability.

[![](https://i.sstatic.net/rnR6D.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/rnR6D.jpg)

I've just found that I have *no idea* how to search for these cards in Gatherer or in MagicCards.info. I can search for cards with a mana cost or converted mana cost of 0, but that also gets me cards like [Accorder's Shield](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bAccorder%27s%5d%2b%5bShield%5d).

How can I search up cards *with no mana cost* in either Gatherer or MagicCards.info?

Lands are also in this category — it's fine if this search turns lands up as well; I can exclude those by their type easily enough.

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Looking at MagicCards.info it looks like for their their system doesn't differentiate between a mana cost of 0 and a mana cost of NULL, so the only way I could find involved various hacks like excluding Kobolds that aren't necessarily future proof...  
> **username_0**: @username_1 It's ok if the only viable method is via Gatherer. Thanks for taking a look into it.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-10-04. Score: 8

You can search for cards that have a CMC of 0 but don't have a mana cost of 0 or that contains X. [Here](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&cmc=+=[0]&mana=+!=[0]+!=[X]+!=[XX]+!=[XXX]&type=+![land]) is an example on Gatherer. Many of them are transform cards or tokens.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: You can also skip both Innistrad blocks and Magic Origins to ditch the transform cards, leaving just the tokens and the real no-cost cards.  
> **username_4**: Instead of excluding each different occurance of `X`, you could include `mana=+!=[0]+!~[X]` and get the same result. This is safe to use even in case a card with even more Xs as costs is printed.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2016-10-05. Score: 2

You can actually directly search for all cards without a mana cost (or, more specifically, an empty mana cost) like this [[direct link](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&mana=+=[])]:

```
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&mana=+=[]

```

This can be input directly in the Advanced Search by submitting `Mana Cost` `and` `=`, without adding any value to the field.

[This query also excludes lands and some tokens](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&mana=+=[]&type=+!["Land"]+!["Token"]).

---

As far as I can see, there's no simple way to exclude the back faces of cards without excluding entire editions they appear in, or excluding their names one by one. The only data-wise unique qualifier is that the collector number contains `b`, however Gatherer doesn't seem to offer a search query for the collector number.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: The results of the second search you linked to include tokens.  
> **username_4**: @username_2: Wow, you're correct... I fixed the link declaration, as I can't seem to come up with a query that reliably excludes tokens in general.  

---

