Bag of Holding — ruling 1

If you discard a card but that card is not in your graveyard as Bag of Holding's first ability resolves, that card remains wherever it has moved.

Bag of Holding — ruling 2

If you control more than one Bag of Holding, you choose which one will hold the discarded card. Other Bags of Holding can't return that card.

Bag of Holding — ruling 3

You both draw and discard while Bag of Holding's second ability is resolving. No player may take any action—nor can anything else happen—until you've both drawn and discarded.

Bag of Holding — ruling 4

If Bag of Holding is moved to exile when you sacrifice it (most likely due to Leyline of the Void's effect), it remains in exile. It won't be returned to your hand.

Bag of Holding — ruling 5

If Bag of Holding leaves the battlefield, the items it contained are exiled forever (and, perhaps, scattered throughout the Astral Plane). If the same Bag of Holding card returns to the battlefield, it's considered a new object without access to the cards stored by the old object.

Bag of Holding : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Bag of Holding is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.

Official card text

Whenever you discard a card, exile that card from your graveyard. , : Draw a card, then discard a card. , , Sacrifice this artifact: Return all cards exiled with this artifact to their owner's hand.

Complete guide

Bag of Holding is a unique utility artifact that ensures your discarded resources are never truly lost. By storing every card you discard in a specialized exile zone, it allows you to recover your entire discard pile later for a single payment. It is a fantastic tool for decks that cycle through cards quickly or use discarding as a cost.

Storing Your Treasures

The first ability is a triggered ability that watches for whenever you discard a card. When you discard, the card briefly hits the graveyard, and then Bag of Holding's trigger moves it to exile. It is important to note that if the card is moved from the graveyard before this trigger resolves, Bag of Holding cannot track it or exile it.

The Looting Mechanism

Bag of Holding has a built-in way to feed its own storage. For two mana and tapping the artifact, you draw a card and then discard a card. This happens entirely during the resolution of the ability; no player can respond between you drawing the card and choosing which one to discard. Once the discard happens, the first ability triggers to exile that card.

Retrieving the Stash

When you are ready to reclaim your cards, you pay four mana and sacrifice Bag of Holding. This returns all cards currently exiled by that specific Bag of Holding to their owner's hand. If Bag of Holding leaves the battlefield and returns, it is a 'new' object and loses access to any cards exiled by the previous version.

Common Pitfalls

A common mistake is thinking Bag of Holding works with multiple copies of itself. If you control two Bags, you choose which one exiles the discarded card. The other Bag cannot 'see' or return cards it didn't exile itself. Additionally, if Bag of Holding is destroyed or exiled before you activate the sacrifice ability, the stored cards remain in exile indefinitely.

Interaction examples

Starting the Cycle

Sol Ring

You have Bag of Holding and Sol Ring on the battlefield. You tap Sol Ring for two colorless mana to activate Bag of Holding's second ability. You draw a card and then discard a card. Bag of Holding's first ability triggers, exiling the discarded card from your graveyard so you can retrieve it later.

The Big Payoff

Arcane Signet

After several turns of looting, you have five cards exiled with Bag of Holding. You use mana from Arcane Signet and other lands to pay the four mana cost. You tap and sacrifice Bag of Holding. All five exiled cards are moved from exile directly back to your hand, giving you a massive boost in card advantage.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.

How it works : Bag of Holding

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1July 12, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
If you discard a card but that card is not in your graveyard as Bag of Holding's first ability resolves, that card remains wherever it has moved.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2July 12, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
If you control more than one Bag of Holding, you choose which one will hold the discarded card. Other Bags of Holding can't return that card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#3July 12, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
You both draw and discard while Bag of Holding's second ability is resolving. No player may take any action—nor can anything else happen—until you've both drawn and discarded.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#4July 12, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
If Bag of Holding is moved to exile when you sacrifice it (most likely due to Leyline of the Void's effect), it remains in exile. It won't be returned to your hand.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#5July 12, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
If Bag of Holding leaves the battlefield, the items it contained are exiled forever (and, perhaps, scattered throughout the Astral Plane). If the same Bag of Holding card returns to the battlefield, it's considered a new object without access to the cards stored by the old object.
No other card is named in this ruling.