Opalescence 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
Each other non-Aura enchantment is a creature in addition to its other types and has base power and base toughness each equal to its mana value.
Complete guide
Opalescence is a classic enchantment that transforms your entire board of non-Aura enchantments into a formidable army of creatures. This card is famous for creating complex layer interactions while turning passive utility spells into game-ending threats. Understanding how it calculates power and toughness is key to mastering your board state.
Breathing Life into Enchantments
Opalescence continuously applies a type-changing effect to all other non-Aura enchantments on the battlefield. These permanents become creatures in addition to their other types, meaning they can now attack, block, and be targeted by creature-specific spells. Importantly, Opalescence does not affect itself unless a second copy of Opalescence is present on the battlefield.
Calculating Power and Toughness
Each affected enchantment's base power and base toughness are set to its mana value (formerly known as converted mana cost). For example, an enchantment costing three mana becomes a 3/3 creature. This is a continuous effect applied in Layer 7b. If an enchantment has an X in its mana cost, X is considered 0 while the card is on the battlefield.
Summoning Sickness and Timing
A common mistake involves 'Summoning Sickness.' A noncreature permanent that becomes a creature can only attack if you have controlled that permanent since the beginning of your most recent turn. It does not matter how long the permanent has been a creature; what matters is how long the permanent itself has been under your control.
When to Play Opalescence
You should play Opalescence when you have established a board of high-cost enchantments and are ready to pivot from a defensive or value-oriented strategy to an aggressive one. Be cautious, as turning your enchantments into creatures makes them vulnerable to board wipes like Wrath of God that usually wouldn't affect them.
Interaction examples
Ghostly PrisonWith Opalescence on the battlefield, your Ghostly Prison (which has a mana value of 3) becomes a 3/3 creature. It still retains its ability, meaning your opponent must still pay {2} to attack you with any creature, but now the Prison itself can jump into combat to block or attack.
Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe has a mana value of 4. Under Opalescence, it becomes a 4/4 creature. You still get to create Treasure tokens whenever an opponent draws a card and doesn't pay, but you also gain a significant body on the board to pressure your opponent's life total.
If you control two copies of Opalescence, they interact uniquely. Since the first one animates all 'other' enchantments, it will turn the second Opalescence into a 4/4 creature. Simultaneously, the second Opalescence will see the first one as an 'other' enchantment and turn the first copy into a 4/4 creature as well.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Opalescence
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
This is the current interaction between Humility and Opalescence: The type-changing effect applies at layer 4, but the rest happens in the applicable layers. The rest of it will apply even if the permanent loses its ability before it's finished applying. So if Opalescence, Humility, and Worship are on the battlefield and Opalescence entered before Humility, the following is true: Layer 4: Humility and Worship each become creatures that are still enchantments. (Opalescence). Layer 6: Humility and Worship each lose their abilities. (Humility) Layer 7b: Humility becomes 4/4 and Worship becomes 4/4. (Opalescence). Humility becomes 1/1 and Worship becomes 1/1 (Humility). But if Humility entered before Opalescence, the following is true: Layer 4: Humility and Worship each become creatures that are still enchantments (Opalescence). Layer 6: Humility and Worship each lose their abilities (Humility). Layer 7b: Humility becomes 1/1 and Worship becomes 1/1 (Humility). Humility becomes 4/4 and Worship becomes 4/4 (Opalescence).
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
A noncreature permanent that turns into a creature can attack, and its
abilities can be activated, only if its controller has continuously controlled that permanent since the beginning of their most recent turn. It doesn't matter how long the permanent has been a creature.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
With a Humility and two Opalescences on the battlefield, if Humility has the latest timestamp, then all creatures are 1/1 with no abilities. If the timestamp order is Opalescence, Humility, Opalescence, the second Opalescence is 1/1, and the Humility and first Opalescence are 4/4. If Humility has the earliest timestamp, then everything is 4/4.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Does not animate itself. But can be animated by another Opalescence.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Opalescence + Parallax Wave
- 1Activate Parallax Wave by removing a fade counter from it, exiling a creature you control.
- 2Activate Parallax Wave again by removing a fade counter from it, targeting a creature an opponent controls.
- 3In response, activate Parallax Wave again by removing a fade counter from it, exiling itself.
- 4Parallax Wave's last ability triggers, returning itself and other creatures exiled by Parallax Wave to the battlefield.
- 5Let the remaining ability resolve, permanently exiling the creature your opponent controls.
- 6Repeat.
Enchanted Evening + Opalescence
- 1All permanents become enchantment creatures with power and toughness equal to their mana value.
- 2All permanents with a mana value of zero will be destroyed due to having zero toughness.
Opalescence + Out of Time
- 1Cast Out of Time by paying
. - 2When Out of Time enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to untap all creatures and phase them out until Out of Time leaves the battlefield.
- 3Because Opalescence causes all non-Aura enchantments to become creatures, it and Out of Time also phase out.
- 4Because Out of Time is phased out, and has no way to phase back in, all permanents phased out by it are permanently phased out.
Touch the Spirit Realm + Opalescence
- 1Cast Touch the Spirit Realm by paying
. - 2When Touch the Spirit Realm enters the battlefield, it triggers, exiling itself until it leaves the battlefield.
- 3When Touch the Spirit Realm leaves the battlefield, it returns itself from exile to the battlefield.
- 4Repeat from step 2.
Opalescence + Parallax Wave + Enchanted Evening
- 1Activate Parallax Wave by removing a fade counter from it, exiling a permanent you control.
- 2Activate Parallax Wave again by removing a fade counter from it, targeting a permanent an opponent controls.
- 3In response, activate Parallax Wave again by removing a fade counter from it, exiling itself.
- 4Parallax Wave's last ability triggers, returning itself and other permanents exiled by Parallax Wave to the battlefield.
- 5Let the remaining ability resolve, permanently exiling the permanent your opponent controls.
- 6Repeat.
Opalescence + Journey to Nowhere
- 1Cast Journey to Nowhere by paying .
- 2Journey to Nowhere enters the battlefield, triggering its first ability, exiling itself.
- 3Journey to Nowhere leaves the battlefield, triggering its second ability, returning itself from exile to the battlefield.
- 4Repeat from step 2.
Opalescence + Day of the Dragons
- 1Cast Day of the Dragons by paying
. - 2Day of the Dragons enters the battlefield, triggering itself, exiling itself and all other creatures you control and creating a 5/5 Dragon creature token for each creature exiled.
- 3When Day of the Dragons leaves the battlefield, it triggers itself, causing you to sacrifice all Dragons you control and return Day of the Dragons and the other exiled cards to the battlefield.
- 4Repeat from step 2.
- 5Note that this is a mandatory loop that will end the game in a draw unless you have a way to end it or to use it for a game-winning effect.
Parallax Wave + Opalescence + Skybind
- 1Optionally, activate Parallax Wave by removing a fade counter from it, exiling a creature you control.
- 2Optionally, activate Parallax Wave by removing a fade counter from it, targeting a creature an opponent controls.
- 3In response activate Parallax Wave by removing a fade counter from it, exiling itself.
- 4Parallax Wave's last ability triggers, returning itself and any permanents exiled by Parallax Wave to the battlefield.
- 5When Parallax Wave enters the battlefield, Skybind triggers, exiling any nonenchantment permanent and creating a delayed triggred ability.
- 6Repeat any number of times.
- 7Resolve all Parallax Wave triggers targeting creatures opponents control, exiling those creatures forever.
- 8At the beginning of the next end step, Skybind's delayed triggered abilities trigger, returning all permanents exiled by Skybind to the battlefield.
Legal formats
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