Nervous Gardener 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
Disguise(You may cast this card face down for
as a 2/2 creature with ward
. Turn it face up any time for its disguise cost.) When this creature is turned face up, search your library for a land card with a basic land type, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Complete guide
Nervous Gardener is a versatile Dryad that helps ensure your mana base is consistent while providing early-game protection. By utilizing the Disguise mechanic, it functions as a hidden threat that can suddenly secure the specific land type you need to cast your most powerful spells.
Hidden Potential: What It Does
Nervous Gardener is a 2/2 creature that can be played normally for 1G or face down for 3 generic mana. While face down, it is a colorless 2/2 creature with Ward 2 and no name or creature types. Its true power lies in its triggered ability: when you pay its Disguise cost of a single Green mana to turn it face up, you get to search your library for any land card with a basic land type—this includes not just basic lands, but also nonbasic lands that have types like Forest or Island—and put it directly into your hand.
Unveiling the Gardener
Turning a face-down creature face up is a special action that does not use the stack, meaning your opponent cannot react to the cost being paid to stop the creature from turning face up. First, you reveal the Disguise cost and pay 1 Green mana. The creature immediately becomes Nervous Gardener. This triggers its ability, which then goes on the stack. Once that ability resolves, you search your library, reveal the land, put it in your hand, and shuffle. Note that because the permanent was already on the battlefield, turning it face up does not trigger 'enters-the-battlefield' effects.
Common Mistakes
A common error is forgetting that Nervous Gardener must search for a card with a 'basic land type,' not necessarily a basic land. You can find a basic Forest, but you can also find specialized nonbasic lands if they have types like Swamp or Mountain listed on their type line. Another mistake involves timing: you can only turn the creature face up when you have priority. Finally, remember that if the face-down creature is destroyed or leaves the battlefield, you must reveal it to all players to prove it was a legal Disguise card.
When to Play It
In the early game, cast Nervous Gardener face down if you are missing a specific color of mana or need to ensure your next land drop. The Ward 2 protection makes it difficult for opponents to remove efficiently before you have a chance to flip it. In the late game, if you already have plenty of mana, you might simply cast it for 1G as a cheap blocker, though you lose the opportunity to search for a land.
Interaction examples
Llanowar ElvesOn turn one, you play Llanowar Elves. On turn two, you use the mana from the Elves and two lands to cast Nervous Gardener face down as a 2/2. On turn three, you pay one Green mana to turn it face up, searching your library for a Forest to ensure you stay on curve for your next play.
A Mysterious CreatureYou cast Nervous Gardener face down and place the A Mysterious Creature reminder card on top of it. Your opponent attempts to target the face-down creature with a removal spell. Because it has Ward 2, your opponent must pay an additional 2 mana or their spell is countered. Before the spell resolves, you can choose to turn the Gardener face up for one Green mana; it remains the same permanent and the ward trigger still applies to the original targeting.
Birds of ParadiseYou have a Birds of Paradise on the battlefield but are missing a source of Blue mana for a spell in your hand. You turn your face-down Nervous Gardener face up by paying one Green mana. Its ability triggers, allowing you to search for any land with the 'Island' type (even a nonbasic one) and put it into your hand, effectively fixing your mana colors for the following turn.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Nervous Gardener
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A disguise ability lets you cast a card face down by paying
and announcing that you are using a disguise ability. Any time you have priority, you can turn a face-down permanent with disguise face up by paying its disguise cost.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The face-down spell has no mana cost and a mana value of 0. When you cast a face-down spell, put it on the stack face down so no other player knows what it is, and pay
to cast it. This is an alternative cost.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The creature spell is a 2/2 creature spell with ward
that has no name, mana cost, or creature types. The resulting creature is a 2/2 creature with ward that has no name, mana cost, or creature types. Both the spell and the resulting creature are colorless and have a mana value of 0. Other effects that apply to the spell or creature can still grant it any characteristics it doesn't have or change the characteristics it does have.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Any time you have priority, you may turn the face-down creature face up by revealing what its disguise cost is and paying that cost. This is a special action. It doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to. Only a face-down permanent can be turned face up this way; a face-down spell cannot.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
At any time, you can look at a face-down spell or permanent you control. You can't look at face-down permanents or spells you don't control unless an effect instructs or allows you to do so.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If a face-down creature loses its abilities, it can't be turned face up with a disguise ability because it will no longer have a disguise ability (or a disguise cost) once face up.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
Because face-down creatures don't have a name, they can't have the same name as any other creature, even another face-down creature.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
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 and Auras and Equipment that were attached to that permanent aren't affected unless the new characteristics of the object change the legality of those targets or attachments.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
Turning a permanent face up or face down doesn't change whether that permanent is tapped or untapped.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
If a face-down spell leaves the stack and goes to any zone other than the battlefield (if it was countered, for example), you must reveal it. Similarly, if a face-down permanent 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 the game ends.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
You must ensure that your face-down spells and permanents can be easily differentiated from each other. You're not allowed to mix up the cards that represent them on the battlefield to confuse other players. The order in which they entered the battlefield should remain clear, as well as what ability caused them to be face down. (This includes disguise, cloak, and in games involving older cards, morph and manifest, as well as a few other effects that turn cards face down.) Common methods for doing this include using markers or dice, or simply placing them in order on the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Yedora, Grave Gardener + Nervous Gardener + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Nervous Gardener, adding
. - 2When Nervous Gardener dies, Yedora triggers, returning Nervous Gardener from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down as a Forest land.
- 3Activate Nervous Gardener by tapping it, adding .
- 4Activate Nervous Gardener's disguise ability by paying , turning it face-up.
- 5Nervous Gardener triggers, causing you to search your library for a land with a basic land type and put it into your hand.
- 6Repeat.
Yedora, Grave Gardener + Nervous Gardener + Goblin Bombardment
- 1Activate Goblin Bombardment by sacrificing Nervous Gardener.
- 2When Nervous Gardener dies, Yedora triggers, returning Nervous Gardener from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down as a Forest land.
- 3Resolve the Goblin Bombardment ability, dealing 1 damage to any target.
- 4Activate Nervous Gardener by tapping it, adding .
- 5Activate Nervous Gardener's disguise ability by paying , turning it face-up.
- 6Nervous Gardener triggers, causing you to search your library for a land with a basic land type and put it into your hand.
- 7Repeat.
Yedora, Grave Gardener + Nervous Gardener + Altar of Dementia
- 1Activate Altar of Dementia by sacrificing Nervous Gardener.
- 2When Nervous Gardener dies, Yedora triggers, returning Nervous Gardener from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down as a Forest land.
- 3Resolve the Altar of Dementia ability, causing target player to mill cards equal to Nervous Gardener's power.
- 4Activate Nervous Gardener by tapping it, adding .
- 5Activate Nervous Gardener's disguise ability by paying , turning it face-up.
- 6Nervous Gardener triggers, causing you to search your library for a land with a basic land type and put it into your hand.
- 7Repeat.
Yedora, Grave Gardener + Evolutionary Leap + Nervous Gardener + Tireless Provisioner
- 1Activate Evolutionary Leap by paying and sacrificing Nervous Gardener.
- 2When Nervous Gardener dies, Yedora triggers, returning Nervous Gardener from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down as a Forest land.
- 3When Nervous Gardener enters the battlefield, Tireless Provisioner triggers, creating a Treasure token.
- 4Resolve the Evolutionary Leap ability, causing you to reveal a creature card from your library and put it into your hand.
- 5Activate Nervous Gardener by tapping it, adding .
- 6Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 7Activate Nervous Gardener's morph ability by paying , turning it face-up.
- 8Repeat.
Yedora, Grave Gardener + Nervous Gardener + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Nervous Gardener, adding one mana of any color.
- 2When Nervous Gardener dies, Yedora triggers, returning Nervous Gardener from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down as a Forest land.
- 3Activate Nervous Gardener by tapping it, adding .
- 4Activate Nervous Gardener's disguise ability by paying , turning it face-up.
- 5Nervous Gardener triggers, causing you to search your library for a land with a basic land type and put it into your hand.
- 6Repeat.
Yedora, Grave Gardener + Evolutionary Leap + Nervous Gardener + Lotus Cobra
- 1Activate Evolutionary Leap by paying and sacrificing Nervous Gardener.
- 2When Nervous Gardener dies, Yedora triggers, returning Nervous Gardener from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down as a Forest land.
- 3When Nervous Gardener enters the battlefield, Lotus Cobra triggers, adding .
- 4Resolve the Evolutionary Leap ability, causing you to reveal a creature card from your library and put it into your hand.
- 5Activate Nervous Gardener by tapping it, adding .
- 6Activate Nervous Gardener's morph ability by paying , turning it face-up.
- 7Repeat.
Yedora, Grave Gardener + Nervous Gardener + Thermopod
- 1Activate Thermopod's second ability by sacrificing Nervous Gardener, adding
. - 2When Nervous Gardener dies, Yedora triggers, returning Nervous Gardener from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down as a Forest land.
- 3Activate Nervous Gardener by tapping it, adding .
- 4Activate Nervous Gardener's disguise ability by paying , turning it face-up.
- 5Nervous Gardener triggers, causing you to search your library for a land with a basic land type and put it into your hand.
- 6Repeat.
Yedora, Grave Gardener + Evolutionary Leap + Nervous Gardener + Nissa, Resurgent Animist
- 1Activate Evolutionary Leap by paying and sacrificing Nervous Gardener.
- 2When Nervous Gardener dies, Yedora triggers, returning Nervous Gardener from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down as a Forest land.
- 3When Nervous Gardener enters the battlefield, Nissa triggers, adding .
- 4Resolve the Evolutionary Leap ability, causing you to reveal a creature card from your library and put it into your hand.
- 5Activate Nervous Gardener by tapping it, adding .
- 6Activate Nervous Gardener's morph ability by paying , turning it face-up.
- 7Repeat.
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