Oubliette 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
When this enchantment enters, target creature phases out until this enchantment leaves the battlefield. Tap that creature as it phases in this way. (Auras and Equipment phase out with it. While permanents are phased out, they're treated as though they don't exist.)
Complete guide
Oubliette is a classic black enchantment that offers a unique way to deal with problematic creatures by effectively erasing them from the game temporarily. Unlike typical exile effects, Oubliette uses the phasing mechanic to ensure the creature stays exactly as it was without triggering entry or exit effects. It is a powerful tool for locking down commanders or creatures with heavy attachments.
What Oubliette Does
When Oubliette enters the battlefield, you choose a target creature to phase out. While a permanent is phased out, it is treated as though it does not exist for all game purposes; it cannot be targeted, its static abilities stop working, and it cannot attack or block. Crucially, any Auras or Equipment attached to the creature phase out with it, and it retains any counters it had. The creature remains phased out for as long as Oubliette remains on the battlefield.
How It Resolves Step by Step
First, Oubliette enters the battlefield and its triggered ability goes on the stack, targeting a creature. If the ability resolves, the creature and everything attached to it phase out immediately. Note that phasing is not 'leaving the battlefield,' so no 'dies' or 'leaves the battlefield' triggers will occur. When Oubliette eventually leaves the battlefield, the creature phases back in immediately. Upon phasing in, the creature is tapped, and any Auras or Equipment that phased out with it phase in still attached.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A common misconception is that the creature will phase in during the controller's next untap step. Because Oubliette specifies the creature is phased out 'until this enchantment leaves the battlefield,' it ignores the normal rules for phasing in during untap steps. Additionally, players often expect 'enters the battlefield' triggers to fire when the creature returns; however, since the creature never actually left the battlefield, no such abilities will trigger when it phases back in.
When to Play It
Oubliette is best used against creatures that rely on equipment or specific Auras to be effective, as it removes the entire package at once. It is also an excellent answer to Commanders in formats like Pauper or Commander, as phasing out a Commander does not allow the owner to move it to the Command Zone, effectively trapping it until the enchantment is destroyed.
Interaction examples
Black Market ConnectionsIf your opponent creates a 3/2 Shapeshifter token using Black Market Connections, you can cast Oubliette targeting that token. The token will phase out. Unlike exile effects where tokens cease to exist, a phased-out token stays in the game but is treated as nonexistent. When Oubliette leaves, the token phases back in tapped and ready to be used once it reaches its owner's next turn.
Phyrexian ArenaIf your opponent has a creature that prevents you from drawing cards or triggers when you draw, you can use Oubliette to phase it out. This allows your Phyrexian Arena to continue providing cards at the start of your upkeep without interference. Because the creature is treated as if it doesn't exist, any static 'lockout' effects it has are nullified for as long as Oubliette is active.
Tomb of AnnihilationIf you are traversing the Tomb of Annihilation and reach the Oubliette room, you must discard a card and sacrifice a creature, artifact, and land. This room shares a name with the card but follows dungeon rules. However, if you have the actual card Oubliette on the battlefield holding an opponent's creature, and you are forced to sacrifice an enchantment to the Sandfall Cell room in the same dungeon, the creature will immediately phase in tapped as soon as the card Oubliette is put into the graveyard.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Oubliette
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If Oubliette leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, the target creature won't be phased out or tapped.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
While a permanent is phased out, it's treated as though it doesn't exist. It can't be the target of spells or abilities, its static abilities have no effect on the game, its triggered abilities can't trigger, it can't attack or block, and so on.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Phasing out doesn't cause any “leaves the battlefield” abilities to trigger. Similarly, phasing in won't cause any “enters the battlefield” abilities to trigger.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Any one-shot effects that are waiting “until [this] leaves the battlefield,” such as that of Kitesail Freebooter, won't happen when a permanent phases out.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Any continuous effects with a “for as long as” duration such as that of Awakener Druid ignore phased-out objects. Any such effects will expire if their conditions are no longer met after ignoring the phased-out objects.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Each Aura and Equipment attached to a permanent that's phasing out also phases out. They will phase in with that permanent and still be attached to it. Similarly, permanents that phase out with counters phase in with those counters.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Choices made for permanents as they entered the battlefield are remembered when they phase in.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
A creature phased out by Oubliette doesn't phase in during its controller's untap step as normal. Rather, it phases in immediately after Oubliette leaves the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
Abilities that trigger when a creature becomes tapped won't trigger when the creature phases in tapped.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Volcano Hellion + Lich's Mirror + Gollum, Obsessed Stalker + Oubliette
- 1Deal combat damage to an opponent using Gollum.
- 2Cast Oubliette by paying
. - 3When Oubliette enters the battlefield, it triggers, phasing out Gollum until Oubliette leaves the battlefield.
- 4Cast Volcano Hellion by paying
. - 5When Volcano Hellion enters the battlefield, it triggers, dealing an arbitrarily large amount of damage to you and Volcano Hellion.
- 6Instead of you losing the game as a state-based action, Lich's Mirror causes you to shuffle your hand, graveyard and all permanents you own into your library, causing Gollum to phase in as Oubliette leaves the battlefield, and setting your life total to 20.
- 7At the beginning of your end step, Gollum triggers, causing an opponent to lose life equal to the life you gained this turn.
Volcano Hellion + Lich's Mirror + Defiant Bloodlord + Oubliette
- 1Cast Volcano Hellion by paying .
- 2When Volcano Hellion enters the battlefield, it triggers, dealing an arbitrarily large amount of damage to you and Volcano Hellion.
- 3Instead of you losing the game as a state-based action, Lich's Mirror causes you to shuffle your hand, graveyard and all permanents you own into your library, causing Defiant Bloodlord to phase in as Oubliette leaves the battlefield, and setting your life total to 20.
- 4Defiant Bloodlord triggers, causing an opponent to lose life equal to the life you gained.
Volcano Hellion + Lich's Mirror + Rhox Faithmender + Oubliette
- 1Cast Volcano Hellion by paying .
- 2When Volcano Hellion enters the battlefield, it triggers, dealing an arbitrarily large amount of damage to you and Volcano Hellion.
- 3Instead of you losing the game as a state-based action, Lich's Mirror causes you to shuffle your hand, graveyard and all permanents you own into your library, causing Rhox Faithmender to phase in as Oubliette leaves the battlefield, and causing you to gain life equal to twice the amount of damage dealt to you plus 40.
Interactions with other cards
These cards' text mentions Oubliette.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Oubliette
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