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Arcane Heist

Arcane Heist

Sorcery

rare

You may cast target instant or sorcery card from an opponent's graveyard without paying its mana cost. If that spell would be put into their graveyard, exile it instead. Cipher (Then you may exile this spell card encoded on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may cast a copy of the encoded card without paying its mana cost.)

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Semantic Tags

Affinityvector

A keyword ability that reduces how much mana you need to spend to cast a spell. See rule 702.41, “Affinity.”

Cascadevector

A keyword ability that may let a player cast a random extra spell for no cost. See rule 702.85, “Cascade.”

Delvevector

A keyword ability that lets you exile cards from your graveyard rather than pay generic mana to cast a spell. See rule 702.66, “Delve.”

Disturbvector

A keyword ability that allows a player to cast a double-faced card transformed from the graveyard. See rule 702.146, “Disturb.”

Emergevector

A keyword ability that lets a player cast a spell for less by sacrificing a creature. See rule 702.119, “Emerge.”

Flashbackvector

A keyword ability that lets a player cast a card from their graveyard. See rule 702.34, “Flashback.”

Foretellvector

A keyword ability that lets a player exile cards from their hand and cast them for an alternative cost on future turns. See rule 702.143, “Foretell.”

Madnessvector

A keyword ability that lets a player cast a card they discard. See rule 702.35, “Madness.”

Suspendvector

A keyword ability that provides an alternative way to play a card. See rule 702.62, “Suspend.” A card is “suspended” if it’s in the exile zone, has suspend, and has a time counter on it.

Format Legality

commanderlegal
oathbreakerlegal
modernnot legal
pioneernot legal
standardnot legal
legacylegal
vintagelegal
paupernot legal
historicnot legal
explorernot legal
alchemynot legal

Price history

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Printings (3)

SetRarityTCGplayerCard KingdomCardmarket
Secret Lair Drop#2567rare···
Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander#49rare···
Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander#13rare···

Related Concepts

Cipher

A keyword ability that allows you to encode a card on a creature and cast that card whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player. See rule 702.99, “Cipher.”

Related Rules

107.3d

If a cost associated with a special action, such as a suspend cost or a morph cost, has an {X} or an X in it, the value of X is chosen by the player taking the special action immediately before they pay that cost.

116.2f

A player who has a card with suspend in their hand may exile that card. This is a special action. A player can take this action any time they have priority, but only if they could begin to cast that card by putting it onto the stack. See rule 702.62, “Suspend.”

116.2h

A player who has a card with foretell in their hand may pay {2} and exile that card face down. This is a special action. A player may take this action any time they have priority during their turn. See rule 702.143, “Foretell.”

702.85

Cascade

400.7k

After resolving a madness triggered ability (see rule 702.35), if the exiled card wasn’t cast and was moved to a public zone, effects referencing the discarded card can find that object.

601.2b

If the spell is modal, the player announces the mode choice (see rule 700.2). If the player wishes to splice any cards onto the spell (see rule 702.47), they reveal those cards in their hand. If the spell has alternative or additional costs that will be paid as it’s being cast such as buyback or kicker costs (see rules 118.8 and 118.9), the player announces their intentions to pay any or all of those costs (see rule 601.2f). A player can’t apply two alternative methods of casting or two alternative costs to a single spell. If the spell has a variable cost that will be paid as it’s being cast (such as an {X} in its mana cost; see rule 107.3), the player announces the value of that variable. If the value of that variable is defined in the text of the spell by a choice that player would make later in the announcement or resolution of the spell, that player makes that choice at this time instead of that later time. If a cost that will be paid as the spell is being cast includes hybrid mana symbols, the player announces the nonhybrid equivalent cost they intend to pay. If a cost that will be paid as the spell is being cast includes Phyrexian mana symbols, the player announces whether they intend to pay 2 life or a corresponding colored mana cost for each of those symbols. Previously made choices (such as choosing to cast a spell with flashback from a graveyard or choosing to cast a creature with morph face down) may restrict the player’s options when making these choices.

702.41b

If a spell has multiple instances of affinity, each of them applies.

702.143b

Exiling a card using its foretell ability is a special action, which doesn’t use the stack. See rule 116, “Special Actions.”

Rulings

2024-04-12

The exiled card with cipher grants a triggered ability to the creature it’s encoded on. If that creature loses that ability and subsequently deals combat damage to a player, the triggered ability won’t trigger. However, the exiled card will continue to be encoded on that creature.

2024-04-12

If the spell you cast has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.

2024-04-12

You cast the copy of the card with cipher during the resolution of the triggered ability. Ignore timing restrictions based on the card’s type.

2024-04-12

If you cast a spell “without paying its mana cost,” you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, those must be paid to cast the spell.

2024-04-12

If another player gains control of the creature, that player will control the triggered ability. That player will create a copy of the encoded card and may cast it.

2024-04-12

The spell with cipher is encoded on the creature as part of that spell’s resolution, just after the spell’s other effects. That card goes directly from the stack to exile. It never goes to the graveyard.

2024-04-12

If the creature leaves the battlefield, the exiled card will no longer be encoded on any creature. It will stay exiled.

2024-04-12

If you choose not to cast the copy, or you can’t cast it (perhaps because there are no legal targets available), the copy will cease to exist the next time state-based actions are performed. You won’t get a chance to cast the copy at a later time.

2024-04-12

You choose whether to cast the target instant or sorcery card as Arcane Heist resolves. If you do, you do so as part of the resolution of Arcane Heist. You can’t wait to cast it later in the turn. Timing restrictions based on the card’s types are ignored.

2024-04-12

You choose the creature as the spell resolves. The cipher ability doesn’t target that creature.

2024-04-12

If a creature with an encoded card deals combat damage to more than one player simultaneously (perhaps because some of the combat damage was redirected), the triggered ability will trigger once for each player it deals combat damage to. Each ability will create a copy of the exiled card and allow you to cast it.

2024-04-12

The copy of the card with cipher is created in and cast from exile.

2024-04-12

If the spell with cipher doesn’t resolve, none of its effects will happen, including cipher. The card will go to its owner’s graveyard and won’t be encoded on a creature.

2024-04-12

You can choose only a creature to encode the card onto.