109. Objects

• 109.2tr. If an ability of an identity card includes the text "this identity," it means the identity card in the command zone on which that ability is printed.
• 109.4tr. In a Treachery game, each identity card is, by default, controlled by its owner. See rule 372.5.

116. Special Actions

• 116.2. There’s an extra special action:
• 116.2tr. In a Treachery game, turning a face-down identity card in the command zone face up is a special action. A player can take this action any time they have priority. See rule 907.4b.

2. PARTS OF A CARD

205. Type Line

• 205.3. Subtypes
• 205.3tr. Identities have their own unique set of subtypes; the subtypes are called identity types (or roles). The identity types are Leader, Guardian, Assassin, and Traitor.

207. Text Box

• 207.2. Ability words
• 207.2tr. In a Treachery game, there is an additional ability word: undercover. See rule 702.187f.

3. CARD TYPES

372. Identities

• 372.1. Identity is a card type seen only on nontraditional Magic cards. Only the Treachery casual variant uses identity cards. See rule 907, "Treachery."
• 372.2. Identity cards remain in the command zone throughout the game. They’re not permanents. They can’t be cast or included in a deck. If an identity card would leave the command zone, it remains in the command zone. Identity cards that aren’t in the game could be brought into the game by some effects.
• 372.3. Identity subtypes are always a single word and are listed after a long dash: "Identity — Leader." Each word after the dash is a separate subtype. Identities may have multiple subtypes. Identity subtypes are also called identity types or roles. See rule 205.3tr for the complete list of identity types.
• 372.3a. The Leader subtype comes with an inherent static ability that sets its controller as the starting player. If multiple players would be the starting player, one of those players is chosen at random.
• 372.4. An identity card may have any number of static, activated and triggered abilities. As long as an identity card is face up in the command zone, its static abilities affect the game, its triggered abilities may trigger, and its activated abilities may be activated.
• 372.4a. Abilities of identity cards may affect the start-of-game procedure.
• 372.4b. Face-down identity cards have no characteristics.
• 372.5. The owner of an identity card is the player who started the game with it in the command zone. The controller of an identity card is its owner.
• 372.6. If an ability of an identity card includes the text "this identity," it means the identity card in the command zone that’s the source of that ability.
• 372.7. If an ability of an identity card includes the text "[identity subtype] player," it means a player controlling a face-up identity card with that type.
• 372.8. At any time, you may look at a face-down identity card you control. You can’t look at face-down identity cards controlled by other players unless an ability allows you to do so.
• 372.9. As a face-down identity card is turned face up, its copiable values revert to its normal copiable values. Any effects that have been applied to the face-down identity card still apply to the face-up card.
• 372.10. If a face-down identity card becomes a copy of another identity card, its copiable values become the copiable values of that identity card, as modified by its face-down status. Its characteristics therefore remain the same: the characteristics listed by the ability or rules that allowed it to be turned face down. However, if it is turned face up, its copiable values become the values it copied from the other identity card. See official rule 707.3, "Copying Objects."
• 372.11. If a face-down identity card would have an "As [this identity] is unveiled . . ." ability after it’s turned face up, that ability is applied while that identity card is being turned face up, not afterward.

7. ADDITIONAL RULES

702. Keyword Abilities (Unveil & Undercover)

• 702.187. Unveil
• French: "Dévoilement."
• 702.187a. Unveil is a static ability that represents two replacement effects. The first functions as an identity card with unveil is put into the command zone. The second effect applies when its controller leaves the game. "Unveil [cost]" means "As you put this identity card into the command zone, turn it face down" and "As you lose the game, turn this identity card face up." See official rule 708, "Face-Down Spells and Permanents."
• 702.187b. Identity cards can’t normally start the game face down. An unveil ability allows you to do so.
• 702.187c. Any time you have priority, you may turn a face-down identity card you control with an unveil ability in the command zone face up. This is a special action; it doesn’t use the stack (see rule 116.2tr). To do this, show all players what the identity card’s unveil cost would be if it were face up, pay that cost, then turn the identity card face up. (If the identity card wouldn’t have an unveil cost if it were face up, it can’t be turned face up this way.)
• 702.187d. Most identity cards with unveil have abilities that trigger when they’re unveiled. "When [this card] is unveiled" means "When [this card] is turned face up as part of an unveil special action."
• 702.187e. If an identity card’s unveil cost includes X, other abilities of that identity may also refer to X. The value of X in those abilities is equal to the value of X chosen as the unveil special action was taken.
• 702.187f. Some identity cards, usually with the Guardian subtype, have a special unveil restriction indicated over their unveil ability. They’re preceded by the ability word "Undercover" in italics at the beginning of that restriction. Players can’t turn that card face up using the procedure described in rule 702.187c above for as long as the restriction hasn’t been met.
• 702.187g. If a player leaves the game, all face-down identity cards controlled by that player must be revealed to all players. At the end of each game, all face-down identity cards must be revealed to all players.

9. CASUAL VARIANTS

907. Treachery

• 907.1. In the Treachery variant, a group of players play Magic with identity cards. The Treachery variant was created and popularized by fans; an independent rules committee maintains additional resources at mtgTreachery.net. The Treachery variant uses all the normal rules for a Magic game or any other game variant, with the following additions.
• 907.2. A Treachery game is always a multiplayer game, played with four or more players (best played with five or six) spread in three or more hidden teams. The default setup for a Treachery game is the Free-for-All multiplayer variant with the attack multiple players option and without the limited range of influence option. See official rule 806, "Free-for-All Variant."
• 907.2a. The teams are defined by the identity cards dealt to the players before the game starts. See rule 907.5.
• 907.2b. The deploy creatures options isn’t normally used in the Treachery variant.
• 907.2c. The Treachery variant is best paired with the Commander/EDH variant. In this case, the Commander decks are chosen before preparing the Treachery variant.
• 907.3. In addition to the normal game materials, an identity deck must be prepared.
• 907.3a. An identity deck must consist of exactly one identity card per player. All identity cards remain in the command zone throughout the game.
• 907.3b. An identity deck must contain no more and no less than one identity card with the Leader subtype, at least one identity card with the Traitor subtype, and a number of identity cards with the Assassin subtype equal to half the number of players, rounded down. The remaining identity cards must be of the Guardian or Traitor subtype. The default setup for an identity deck for a five-player game is 1 Leader, 1 Guardian, 2 Assassins and 1 Traitor.
• 907.3c. Other recommended setups are:

4 players: 1 Leader, 1 Traitor, 2 Assassins.
5 players: 1 Leader, 1 Traitor, 2 Assassins, 1 Guardian.
6 players: 1 Leader, 1 Traitor, 3 Assassins, 1 Guardian.
7 players: 1 Leader, 1 Traitor, 3 Assassins, 2 Guardians.
8 players: 1 Leader, 2 Traitors, 3 Assassins, 2 Guardians.


• 907.3d. Backstab Rumble Option: As an alternative option, an identity deck could contain one identity card with the Leader subtype, and all the remaining identity cards are of the Traitor subtype. For a greater element of surprise, don’t inform the players that this option has been chosen.
• 907.4. Before the game is started, the identity deck is shuffled, and each player is randomly dealt face-down an identity card from the identity deck. Once all identity cards have been dealt, each player looks at it and puts it into the command zone, face up or face down depending on the card’s text.
• 907.4a. Identity cards with the Leader subtype are put into the command zone face up.
• 907.4b. Identity cards with an unveil ability are put into the command zone face down. Any time a player has priority, they may turn a face-down identity card they control face up by performing an unveil special action. See rule 702.187, "Unveil."
• 907.4c. The subtypes of face-down identity cards are kept secret. Players should not reveal their role.
• 907.5. The teams consist of the following.
• 907.5a. The players controlling a Leader or Guardian identity card are members of the same team. They are designated the leader team.
• 907.5b. The players controlling an Assassin identity card form a second opposing team. They are designated the assassins team.
• 907.5c. The players controlling a Traitor identity card are each member of their own team and fight for themselves. They have no teammates.
• Note: This role is very difficult because you will have to eliminate each of your opponents before they reach their respective win conditions. But keep in mind that your role is granted with a more powerful unveil triggered ability.
• 907.5d. A player with a face-down identity card is considered opponent to other players and has no teammates until their identity card is face up.
• 907.6. Each player’s starting life total is 20 unless an ability or another game variant modifies the starting life total. Each player’s starting hand size is seven cards unless an ability or another game variant modifies the starting hand size.
• Note: If you play a game of Treachery with the Commander/EDH variant, each player’s starting life total is 40 and each player’s starting hand size is seven cards. If you play with the Vanguard variant, each player’s starting totals are modified according to their vanguard card.
• 907.7. Rather than a randomly determined player, the Leader player is the starting player. If multiple players would be the starting player, one of those players is chosen at random.
• 907.8. The Treachery variant includes the following specifications for winning and losing the game. All other rules for ending the game also apply (see official rule 104, "Ending the game"), with the exceptions outlined in rule 907.11.
• 907.8a. The assassins team wins the game if all players controlling a Leader identity have lost the game and at least one player controlling an Assassin identity is still in the game.
• 907.8b. The leader team loses the game if all players controlling a Leader identity have lost the game.
• 907.9. The owner of an identity card is the player who started the game with it in the command zone. The controller of an identity card is its owner.
• 907.10. Any abilities of a face-up identity card in the command zone function from that zone. The card's static abilities affect the game, its triggered abilities may trigger, and its activated abilities may be activated.
• 907.11. When a player leaves the game, all objects owned by that player leave the game (see official rule 800.4a) except for the following. These are not state-based actions. They happen as soon as the player leaves the game.
• 907.11a. Abilities on the stack with an identity source and owned by a player who left the game remain on the stack. Allow the leaving player to resolve these abilities if possible.
• 907.11b. An identity card owned by a player who left the game and controlled by another player still in the game remains in the game. That controller becomes the new owner of that identity card.
• 907.12. When a player leaves the game, the game remembers the last team they were a member of based on the last known identity card they controlled before they leave the game.
• 907.13. If a player leaves the game, all face-down identity cards controlled by that player must be revealed to all players. At the end of the game, all face-down identity cards must be revealed to all players.