Hidden Nursery 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
This land enters tapped.: Add
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Complete guide
Hidden Nursery is a versatile utility land from the Lost Caverns of Ixalan that provides green mana and late-game card advantage. As a Cave, it supports specific tribal synergies while offering a powerful 'Discover' activated ability. This guide explains how to dig deep into your library to find exactly what you need.
Understanding Discover 4
Hidden Nursery's main draw is its ability to Discover 4. When you pay the activation cost and sacrifice the land, you exile cards from the top of your library until you hit a nonland card with a mana value of 4 or less. You then have a choice: cast that card for free or put it into your hand. The remaining exiled cards go to the bottom of your library in a random order.
The Resolution Process
First, ensure it is your main phase and the stack is empty, as this ability is sorcery-speed only. Once activated, you exile cards face-up for all players to see. If you find a card with mana value 4 or less, you determine if you want to cast it. If the spell requires targets and none are available, or if you simply prefer to save it for later, you must put it into your hand. You cannot choose to leave it in exile.
Costs and Mana Values
When Discovering, the mana value is strictly the cost printed in the top right corner of the card. Ignore any cost reducers or additional tax effects. If the card you find has {X} in its cost, such as a hydra, X must be 0 if you choose to cast it for free. However, you can still pay optional additional costs, like Kicker, though you must pay for those yourself using other mana sources.
Strategic Timing
Since Hidden Nursery enters the battlefield tapped, it is often best played in the early turns to set up your mana base. Later in the game, when you no longer need the green mana, you can sacrifice it to find a threat or an answer. Because it is a land, it is harder for opponents to interact with the Discover ability compared to a spell on the stack.
Interaction examples
Command TowerWith Hidden Nursery and Command Tower on the battlefield, you have access to green mana plus any color in your commander's identity. If you need to find a 4-cost creature, you can tap Command Tower and other lands to pay the {4}{G} activation cost for Hidden Nursery, sacrificing it to trigger the Discover 4 effect.
Exotic OrchardIf your opponent controls a Forest, your Exotic Orchard can tap for green to help pay for Hidden Nursery's ability. Upon sacrificing Hidden Nursery, you exile cards until you reveal a nonland card. If that card is a 4-mana value spell, you can cast it immediately, potentially turning a land drop into a game-winning play.
When resolving the Discover 4 ability, you may exile several land cards before hitting a nonland card. For example, if the top three cards of your library are lands, you exile all three, then reveal the fourth card. If that fourth card is a nonland with mana value 4 or less, you stop exiling. All three lands and any other non-eligible cards are then tucked randomly at the bottom of your library.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Hidden Nursery
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A spell's mana value is determined only by its mana cost. Ignore any alternative costs, additional costs, cost increases, or cost reductions.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
When you discover, you must exile cards. The only optional part of the ability is whether you cast the exiled card or put it into your hand.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
You exile the cards face up. All players will be able to see them.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
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. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those to cast it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If the discovered card has
in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If you can't cast the discovered card (perhaps because there are no legal targets for the spell), you'll put it into your hand.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Some spells and abilities that cause you to discover may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve and you won't discover.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
The mana value of a split card is determined by the combined mana cost of its two halves. If discover allows you to cast a split card, you may cast either half (as long as its mana value is less than or equal to the effect's discover value) but not both halves.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
If you discover an adventurer card, split card, or modal double-faced card, you might be able to cast that card with either set of characteristics depending on the effect's discover value. For example, if you discover 4 and reveal Galvanic Giant (an adventurer card from Wilds of Eldraine with a mana value of 4), you could cast Galvanic Giant, but not Storm Reading (its Adventure, which has a mana value of 7). If you discover 7 and reveal Galvanic Giant, you could cast either Galvanic Giant or Storm Reading.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Hidden Nursery
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.