<p>It is #2, you will end up with an Insectile Abberation.</p>

<p>A few different rules at play here. First off, your Delver of Secrets is only copying The Ravenger side of Nicol Bolas, it doesn't have any relationship to The Arisen:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>706.8. When copying a double-faced permanent, a face-up meld card, or a melded permanent, <strong>only the copiable values of the face that’s currently up are copied</strong>. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>When you exile your creature, the aura will not go with it, simply because the aura is a separate permanent. It will sit on the battlefield for a moment, but go straight to the graveyard next time state-based actions are checked:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>303.4c If an Aura is enchanting an illegal object or player as defined by its enchant ability and other applicable effects, <strong>the object it was attached to no longer exists</strong>, or the player it was attached to has left the game, the Aura is put into its owner’s graveyard. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>And we know the object no longer exists because:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. There are nine exceptions to this rule:</p>
</blockquote>

<p>(None of the exceptions apply).</p>

<p>So what you have is an instruction to return your card to the battlefield, transformed. You can do this:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>701.27a To transform a permanent, turn it over so that its other face is up. Only permanents represented by double-faced cards can transform.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>So you turn the object formerly known as Nicol Bolas, The Ravenger, over so that its other face is up, and return it to the battlefield.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T23:34:11.397Z
Makes me wonder if doing this in reverse could be a shortcut to transform the expensive Nicol Bolas.
Brilliand
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-04T15:03:44.053Z
@Brilliand I think maybe? cast Ravager.  Metamorphic alter it to easy-to-transform.  Transform card; card is flipped as the card has another side (other side is not copied).  Metamorphic kicks in; creature is still target.  Dispell Metamorphic; flipped over, copied card no longer a copy?
Yakk
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-04T20:00:29.890Z
@Yakk Sounds right to me.
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-01T07:12:53.900Z
And then Bolas dies because he had no loyalty counters. That's the reason the flip walkers exile and flip in the first place.
Arcanist Lupus
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-03T17:03:02.040Z
What if a single sided card had been enchanted to be a copy of Nicol Bolas?
Acccumulation
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-03T17:44:42.480Z
@Acccumulation That is discussed in [this other question](https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/42680/can-a-card-copying-a-flip-walker-transform).
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-08T13:59:42.797Z
@ArcanistLupus you'd need to use one of the walkers that are easier to exile-transform, like say Liliana, Heretical Healer or Jace, Vryn's Prodigy.
Andrew
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T13:21:16.297Z
2018-07-03T13:21:16.297Z
GendoIkari
<p>We are getting <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bMetamorphic%20Alteration%5d">Metamorphic Alteration</a> in M19. What if I enchant my <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bDelver%20of%20Secrets%5d">Delver of Secrets</a>, copying my opponents <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bNicol%20Bolas%2c%20the%20Ravager%5d">Nicol Bolas, the Ravager</a>. Then I pay the cost on my Bolas (previously a Delver) to activate his transform ability.</p>

<p>What will happen? I can think of 3 possibilities:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>My Delver is exiled and the aura goes to the graveyard.</p></li>
<li><p>My Delver is transformed, aura goes to the graveyard, but the Delver transforms into <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bInsectile%20Aberration%5d">Insectile Aberration</a></p></li>
<li><p>My Delver is transformed, aura goes to the graveyard, and the Delver transforms into <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bNicol%20Bolas%2c%20the%20Arisen%5d">Nicol Bolas, the Arisen</a></p></li>
</ol>

<magic-the-gathering><mtg-double-faced-cards>
What happens if a double-faced card that is copying a different double-faced card transforms?
Christopher
# What happens if a double-faced card that is copying a different double-faced card transforms?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-07-03)

We are getting [Metamorphic Alteration](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bMetamorphic%20Alteration%5d) in M19. What if I enchant my [Delver of Secrets](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bDelver%20of%20Secrets%5d), copying my opponents [Nicol Bolas, the Ravager](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bNicol%20Bolas%2c%20the%20Ravager%5d). Then I pay the cost on my Bolas (previously a Delver) to activate his transform ability.

What will happen? I can think of 3 possibilities:

1. My Delver is exiled and the aura goes to the graveyard.
2. My Delver is transformed, aura goes to the graveyard, but the Delver transforms into [Insectile Aberration](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bInsectile%20Aberration%5d)
3. My Delver is transformed, aura goes to the graveyard, and the Delver transforms into [Nicol Bolas, the Arisen](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bNicol%20Bolas%2c%20the%20Arisen%5d)

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering, mtg-double-faced-cards


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-07-03. Score: 10 | Accepted answer

It is #2, you will end up with an Insectile Abberation.

A few different rules at play here. First off, your Delver of Secrets is only copying The Ravenger side of Nicol Bolas, it doesn't have any relationship to The Arisen:

> 706.8. When copying a double-faced permanent, a face-up meld card, or a melded permanent, **only the copiable values of the face that’s currently up are copied**.

When you exile your creature, the aura will not go with it, simply because the aura is a separate permanent. It will sit on the battlefield for a moment, but go straight to the graveyard next time state-based actions are checked:

> 303.4c If an Aura is enchanting an illegal object or player as defined by its enchant ability and other applicable effects, **the object it was attached to no longer exists**, or the player it was attached to has left the game, the Aura is put into its owner’s graveyard. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)

And we know the object no longer exists because:

> 400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. There are nine exceptions to this rule:

(None of the exceptions apply).

So what you have is an instruction to return your card to the battlefield, transformed. You can do this:

> 701.27a To transform a permanent, turn it over so that its other face is up. Only permanents represented by double-faced cards can transform.

So you turn the object formerly known as Nicol Bolas, The Ravenger, over so that its other face is up, and return it to the battlefield.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Makes me wonder if doing this in reverse could be a shortcut to transform the expensive Nicol Bolas.  
> **username_3**: @username_2 I think maybe? cast Ravager.  Metamorphic alter it to easy-to-transform.  Transform card; card is flipped as the card has another side (other side is not copied).  Metamorphic kicks in; creature is still target.  Dispell Metamorphic; flipped over, copied card no longer a copy?  
> **username_1**: @username_3 Sounds right to me.  
> **username_4**: And then Bolas dies because he had no loyalty counters. That's the reason the flip walkers exile and flip in the first place.  
> **username_5**: What if a single sided card had been enchanted to be a copy of Nicol Bolas?  
> **username_1**: @username_5 That is discussed in [this other question](https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/42680/can-a-card-copying-a-flip-walker-transform).  
> **username_6**: @username_4 you'd need to use one of the walkers that are easier to exile-transform, like say Liliana, Heretical Healer or Jace, Vryn's Prodigy.  

---

