Dance of the Manse — ruling 1

If a card in a player's graveyard has {X} in its mana cost, that X is considered to be 0.

Dance of the Manse — ruling 2

If X is 6 or more, the artifacts and/or enchantments enter the battlefield as 4/4 creatures. They don't enter as noncreature permanents and then become creatures.

Dance of the Manse — ruling 3

An artifact creature or enchantment creature returned this way will be a 4/4 creature.

Dance of the Manse — ruling 4

An Equipment that's also a creature can't be attached to anything. You can activate its equip ability, but it won't become attached.

Dance of the Manse — ruling 5

If another effect causes one of the returned permanents to become a creature and sets its power and toughness as it does so, that creature will have that power and toughness; it won't be 4/4. Notably, crewing a Vehicle does not set its power and toughness, so a Vehicle will remain a 4/4 creature if you crew it.

Dance of the Manse : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Dance of the Manse 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

Return up to X target artifact and/or non-Aura enchantment cards each with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. If X is 6 or more, those permanents are 4/4 creatures in addition to their other types.

Complete guide

Dance of the Manse is a powerful sorcery from Throne of Eldraine that can turn your graveyard into a formidable board state. By returning multiple artifacts and enchantments at once, it serves as both a value engine and a late-game win condition. When cast for a large enough value, these relics of the past rise up as powerful 4/4 creatures to finish the game.

Choosing Your Targets

When you cast Dance of the Manse, you choose a value for X and target up to X cards in your graveyard. These targets must be artifacts or non-Aura enchantments, and each must have a mana value equal to or less than the X you chose. For example, if X is 2, you can return two cards with mana values of 0, 1, or 2, but you cannot return a card with a mana value of 3 even if you only target one card.

The Big Animation Effect

The second part of the spell checks the value of X as the spell resolves. If X is 6 or more, every permanent returned this way becomes a 4/4 creature in addition to its other types. Crucially, they enter the battlefield as creatures; they do not enter and then transform. This means they will trigger 'whenever a creature enters the battlefield' abilities. If an artifact creature or enchantment creature is returned this way, its base power and toughness will be overwritten to 4/4.

Common Misconceptions

A common mistake involves Equipment cards. If X is 6 or more, an Equipment returned becomes a creature and cannot be attached to anything. You can pay the equip cost, but the action will fail to attach the creature to another creature. Additionally, if you return a Vehicle and X is 6 or more, crewing it will not change its 4/4 stats because crewing does not set specific power and toughness values.

When to Play It

In the early game, Dance of the Manse can be used for small amounts of mana to recover key utility artifacts or card-draw engines that have been destroyed. In the late game, it is best saved for when you have eight or more mana available (X=6 plus the white and blue mana). This allows you to generate an immediate army of 4/4s that can overwhelm your opponent's defenses.

Interaction examples

Early Value Setup

Ponder

Windfall

Imagine you have used Ponder to find your pieces and Windfall to fill your graveyard with several low-cost artifacts. You cast Dance of the Manse where X=2. You can target two artifacts with mana value 2 or less. They return to the battlefield as their normal, non-creature versions, providing immediate utility or mana ramp for your next turn.

Building the 4/4 Army

Windfall

After a large Windfall has discarded several Mana Rocks and enchantments into your graveyard, you cast Dance of the Manse where X=6. You choose six artifacts and enchantments from your graveyard. Because X is 6, all six items enter the battlefield simultaneously as 4/4 creatures. Even if a card had a mana value of 0, it is now a 4/4 creature because the spell's condition for X being 6 or more was met.

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

How it works : Dance of the Manse

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1October 4, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
If a card in a player's graveyard has in its mana cost, that X is considered to be 0.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2October 4, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
If X is 6 or more, the artifacts and/or enchantments enter the battlefield as 4/4 creatures. They don't enter as noncreature permanents and then become creatures.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#3October 4, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
An artifact creature or enchantment creature returned this way will be a 4/4 creature.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#4October 4, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
An Equipment that's also a creature can't be attached to anything. You can activate its equip ability, but it won't become attached.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#5October 4, 2019· Wizards of the Coast
If another effect causes one of the returned permanents to become a creature and sets its power and toughness as it does so, that creature will have that power and toughness; it won't be 4/4. Notably, crewing a Vehicle does not set its power and toughness, so a Vehicle will remain a 4/4 creature if you crew it.
No other card is named in this ruling.