Formless Nurturing MTG Card
2015-01-23 - Number 129
2019-11-07 - Number 1214
2002-06-24 - Number 55747
2020-09-26 - Number FRF-129
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Abilities | Manifest |
Text of card
Manifest the top card of your library, then put a +1/+1 counter on it. (To manifest a card, put it onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature. Turn it face up any time for its mana cost if it's a creature card.)
Cards like Formless Nurturing
Formless Nurturing makes a unique mark in the arsenal of sorcery cards in Magic: The Gathering. This sorcery mirrors the essence of cards like Elemental Mastery, which allows you to transform a single creature into multiple tokens, echoing Formless Nurturing’s potential to conjure presence on the battlefield from your library’s top card. However, Formless Nurturing weaves in the surprise element of pulling from the deck rather than amplifying what’s already on the field.
Another parallel can be drawn with the card Call of the Wild. Both cards utilize the top of the library to summon creatures to the fray. Call of the Wild, with a recurring investment, keeps the creature summoning possibility alive, as opposed to Formless Nurturing’s one-time effect. However, Formless Nurturing has the added benefit of placing the next card in your library’s pecking order for future use.
When comparing these similar strategies, it’s clear that Formless Nurturing offers a blend of unpredictability and resource setting that can pivot the momentum of the game. This MTG card finds its niche by providing a balance between potential creature advantage and deck manipulation, ensuring its place in decks that favor an element of surprise backed by strategic preparation.
Cards similar to Formless Nurturing by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Formless Nurturing possesses a unique ability to sift through the top four cards of your library. This action not only provides the potential to secure a powerful creature for your hand but also strategically places the remainder of the cards into your graveyard, which could be beneficial for strategies that capitalize on graveyard mechanics.
Resource Acceleration: After revealing the top four cards of your library, Formless Nurturing lets you manifest the top card. This aids in resource acceleration by potentially turning a noncreature card into a 2/2 creature that can be turned face up if it’s a creature card using its mana cost or manifest cost.
Instant Speed: Although Formless Nurturing is a sorcery, its implications extend beyond its speed. By bringing a 2/2 creature to the battlefield, it helps in maintaining board presence. Additionally, the manifest mechanic as a whole allows for surprise and unpredictability on the battlefield, which can give you a tactical edge over opponents who might be unsure about the face-down creature’s identity.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Formless Nurturing demands that you exile a creature card from your graveyard as part of its resolution, which can deplete your graveyard resources, potentially interfering with strategies that rely on graveyard synergies.
Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost that includes one green and three generic, Formless Nurturing may not seamlessly fit into multi-colored decks, requiring a reliable green mana source to be cast effectively.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a total of four mana for a singular manifestation, Formless Nurturing’s investment might outweigh its return, especially when you consider other cards at similar mana costs that could provide an immediate impact on the game state.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Formless Nurturing shines in decks that capitalize on manifest mechanics, allowing a wide range of creatures to hit the board. Its ability to bring creatures into play facedown offers surprise elements and adaptability in both casual and competitive play.
Combo Potential: This card’s manifest ability pairs well with cards that manipulate the top of your library, ensuring a high-impact creature is manifested. It can be a key piece in turning the tide by converting an ostensibly harmless 2/2 into a game-winning powerhouse.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment filled with heavy removal, Formless Nurturing provides resilience by putting creatures onto the battlefield in a more protected state. It ensures that your threats can survive and adapt to outlast control strategies, keeping you one step ahead of the competition.
How to beat Formless Nurturing
Formless Nurturing can spice things up in the Magic: The Gathering arena, specifically within decks that revolve around creature enhancement and utilizing the graveyard. This sorcery not only teases the top card of your library, it also promises a creature token with power and toughness equal to the exiled card’s converted mana cost. A strategic move for players seeking to maximize their board presence.
Overcoming the might of Formless Nurturing requires a smart approach. Keeping tabs on graveyard interaction is key, as this card shines in decks that cycle through their own libraries rapidly. Instant-speed removal spells or stifling opponents’ graveyard-access can disrupt their careful planning. Graveyard hate cards, like Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze, are excellent choices for snipping the wings of a strategy centered around Formless Nurturing before it can take flight.
The essence of conquering this card lies in anticipation and disruption. Recognize the synergies within your opponent’s deck and aim to dismantle the cogs before the machine turns against you. In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, a tactic as simple as well-timed intervention can be the fine line between victory and defeat.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Formless Nurturing MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Fate Reforged, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Formless Nurturing and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
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- Card Market
- Star City Games
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- MTG Mint Card
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- ABU Games
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Printings
The Formless Nurturing Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2015-01-23 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Cliff Childs.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 55747 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Cliff Childs | ||
| 2 | 2015-01-23 | Fate Reforged | FRF | 129 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Cliff Childs | |
| 3 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1214 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Cliff Childs | |
| 4 | The List | PLST | FRF-129 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Cliff Childs |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Formless Nurturing has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Formless Nurturing card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2014-11-24 | A permanent that turns face up or face down changes characteristics but is otherwise the same permanent. Spells and abilities that were targeting that permanent, as well as Auras and Equipment that were attached to the permanent, aren’t affected. |
| 2014-11-24 | Any time you have priority, you may turn a manifested creature face up by revealing that it’s a creature card (ignoring any copy effects or type-changing effects that might be applying to it) and paying its mana cost. This is a special action. It doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to. |
| 2014-11-24 | At any time, you can look at a face-down permanent you control. You can’t look at face-down permanents you don’t control unless an effect allows you to or instructs you to. |
| 2014-11-24 | Because face-down creatures don’t have names, they can’t have the same name as any other creature, even another face-down creature. |
| 2014-11-24 | Because the permanent is on the battlefield both before and after it’s turned face up, turning a permanent face up doesn’t cause any enters-the-battlefield abilities to trigger. |
| 2014-11-24 | If a face-down permanent you control leaves the battlefield, you must reveal it. You must also reveal all face-down spells and permanents you control if you leave the game or if the game ends. |
| 2014-11-24 | If a manifested creature would have morph if it were face up, you may also turn it face up by paying its morph cost. |
| 2014-11-24 | Some older Magic sets feature double-faced cards, which have a Magic card face on each side rather than a Magic card face on one side and a Magic card back on the other. The rules for double-faced cards are changing slightly to account for the possibility that they are manifested. If a double-faced card is manifested, it will be put onto the battlefield face down. While face down, it can’t transform. If the front face of the card is a creature card, you can turn it face up by paying its mana cost. If you do, its front face will be up. A double-faced permanent on the battlefield still can’t be turned face down. |
| 2014-11-24 | The face-down permanent is a 2/2 creature with no name, mana cost, creature types, or abilities. It’s colorless and has a converted mana cost of 0. Other effects that apply to the permanent can still grant or change any of these characteristics. |
| 2014-11-24 | There are no cards in the Fate Reforged set that would turn a face-down instant or sorcery card on the battlefield face up, but some older cards can try to do this. If something tries to turn a face-down instant or sorcery card on the battlefield face up, reveal that card to show all players it’s an instant or sorcery card. The permanent remains on the battlefield face down. Abilities that trigger when a permanent turns face up won’t trigger, because even though you revealed the card, it never turned face up. |
| 2014-11-24 | Turning a permanent face up or face down doesn’t change whether that permanent is tapped or untapped. |
| 2014-11-24 | Unlike a face-down creature that was cast using the morph ability, a manifested creature may still be turned face up after it loses its abilities if it’s a creature card. |
| 2014-11-24 | You must ensure that your face-down spells and permanents can easily be differentiated from each other. You’re not allowed to mix up the cards that represent them on the battlefield in order to confuse other players. The order they entered the battlefield should remain clear. Common methods for indicating this include using markers or dice, or simply placing them in order on the battlefield. You must also track how each became face down (manifested, cast face down using the morph ability, and so on). |