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Thousand-Faced Shadow

Thousand-Faced Shadow

Creature — Human Ninja

rare

Ninjutsu (, Return an unblocked attacker you control to hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking.) Flying When this creature enters from your hand, if it's attacking, create a token that's a copy of another target attacking creature. The token enters tapped and attacking.

1/1

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Semantic Tags

Copy / Clonemechanical

Creates copies of creatures, permanents, or spells.

ETB Mattersmechanical

Triggers when a creature or permanent enters the battlefield. Prime blink targets.

Evasivemechanical

Difficult to block or grants evasion. Includes flying, menace, fear, intimidate, shadow, skulk, horsemanship, unblockable effects, and cards that grant these abilities.

Flyingmechanical

A keyword ability that restricts how a creature may be blocked. See rule 702.9, “Flying.”

Mana Sinkmechanical

A permanent with a repeatable activated ability that converts excess mana into value.

Ninjutsumechanical

A keyword ability that lets a creature suddenly enter combat. See rule 702.49, “Ninjutsu.”

Ninjutsuvector

A keyword ability that lets a creature suddenly enter combat. See rule 702.49, “Ninjutsu.”

Permanentmechanical

A card or token on the battlefield. See rule 110, “Permanents.”

Creates creature tokens, Treasure tokens, Food tokens, Clue tokens, or other token types.

Format Legality

commanderlegal
oathbreakerlegal
modernlegal
pioneerlegal
standardnot legal
legacylegal
vintagelegal
paupernot legal
historicnot legal
explorernot legal
alchemynot legal

Price history

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Printings (6)

Related Concepts

Flying

A keyword ability that restricts how a creature may be blocked. See rule 702.9, “Flying.”

Ninjutsu

A keyword ability that lets a creature suddenly enter combat. See rule 702.49, “Ninjutsu.”

Related Rules

106.5

If an ability would produce one or more mana of an undefined type, it produces no mana instead.

106.7

Some abilities produce mana based on the type of mana another permanent or permanents “could produce.” The type of mana a permanent could produce at any time includes any type of mana that an ability of that permanent would produce if the ability were to resolve at that time, taking into account any applicable replacement effects in any possible order. Ignore whether any costs of the ability could or could not be paid. If that permanent wouldn’t produce any mana under these conditions, or no type of mana can be defined this way, there’s no type of mana it could produce.

106.12

To “tap [a permanent] for mana” is to activate a mana ability of that permanent that includes the {T} symbol in its activation cost. See rule 605, “Mana Abilities.”

106.12a

An ability that triggers whenever a permanent “is tapped for mana” or is tapped for mana of a specified type triggers whenever such a mana ability resolves and produces mana or the specified type of mana.

106.12b

A replacement effect that applies if a permanent “is tapped for mana” or tapped for mana of a specific type and/or amount modifies the mana production event while such an ability is resolving and producing mana or the specified type and/or amount of mana.

107.3m

If an object’s enters-the-battlefield triggered ability or replacement effect refers to X, and the spell that became that object as it resolved had a value of X chosen for any of its costs, the value of X for that ability is the same as the value of X for that spell, although the value of X for that permanent is 0. This is an exception to rule 107.3i.

107.5

The tap symbol is {T}. The tap symbol in an activation cost means “Tap this permanent.” A permanent that’s already tapped can’t be tapped again to pay the cost. A creature’s activated ability with the tap symbol in its activation cost can’t be activated unless the creature has been under its controller’s control continuously since their most recent turn began. See rule 302.6.

107.6

The untap symbol is {Q}. The untap symbol in an activation cost means “Untap this permanent.” A permanent that’s already untapped can’t be untapped again to pay the cost. A creature’s activated ability with the untap symbol in its activation cost can’t be activated unless the creature has been under its controller’s control continuously since their most recent turn began. See rule 302.6.

Rulings

2022-02-18

As you activate a ninjutsu ability, you reveal the Ninja card in your hand and return the attacking creature. The Ninja card stays revealed and isn't put onto the battlefield until the ability resolves. If it leaves your hand before then, it won't enter the battlefield at all.

2022-02-18

Although the token is attacking, it was never declared as an attacking creature (for purposes of abilities that trigger whenever a creature attacks, for example).

2022-02-18

The ninjutsu ability can be activated during the declare blockers step, combat damage step, or end of combat step. In most cases (see below), if you wait until the combatdamage step or end of combat step, it will be after combat damage has been dealt, so the Ninja won't deal combat damage.

2022-02-18

If the copied creature was copying something else, the token enters the battlefield as whatever that creature was copying.

2022-02-18

The creature with ninjutsu enters the battlefield attacking the same player or planeswalker that the returned creature was attacking. This is a rule specific to ninjutsu; in other cases, when a creature is put onto the battlefield attacking, that creature's controller chooses which player or planeswalker it's attacking.

2022-02-18

The ninjutsu ability can be activated only after blockers have been declared. Before then, attacking creatures are neither blocked nor unblocked.

2022-02-18

If a creature in combat has first strike or double strike, you can activate the ninjutsu ability during the first-strike combat damage step. The Ninja will deal combat damage during the regular combat damage step, even if it has first strike.

2022-02-18

Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature will trigger when the token enters the battlefield. Any “As [this creature] enters the battlefield” or “[This creature] enters the battlefield with” abilities of the copied creature will also work.

2022-02-18

Although the Ninja is attacking, it was never declared as an attacking creature (for purposes of abilities that trigger whenever a creature attacks, for example).

2022-02-18

The token copies exactly what was printed on the original creature and nothing else (unless that permanent is copying something else or is a token; see below). It doesn't copy whether that creature has any counters on it or Auras and/or Equipment attached to it, or any non-copy effects that changed its power, toughness, types, color, and so on. Notably, it doesn't copy any effects that may have turned a noncreature permanent into a creature. If the token isn't a creature as it enters the battlefield, it won't be attacking.

2022-02-18

If the copied creature had {X} in its mana cost, X is 0.

2022-02-18

If the copied creature is a token, the token created by Thousand-Faced Shadow copies the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that put it onto the battlefield.

2022-02-18

You choose which opponent or opposing planeswalker the token is attacking as you put it onto the battlefield. It doesn't have to be the same player or planeswalker Thousand-Faced Shadow is attacking. (Remember that the rules for ninjutsu specify that a creature that enters the battlefield attacking because of a ninjutsu ability attacks the same player or planeswalker the returned unblocked creature was.)

2022-02-18

Puff of smoke not included.