Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods 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
Other creatures you control have haste. Whenever one or more face-down creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, draw a card. Whenever a face-down creature you control dies, return it to the battlefield face down under its owner's control if it's a permanent card, then turn it face up.
Complete guide
Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods is a powerful legendary centaur that breathes new life into face-down creature strategies. By granting haste and rewarding you for both attacking and losing your hidden forces, Yarus ensures your board state remains aggressive and resilient.
Masters of the Hidden Realm
Yarus provides three distinct benefits. First, it grants haste to all other creatures you control, allowing your face-down creatures to attack the turn they are played. Second, it provides card advantage whenever your face-down creatures connect with a player's life total. Finally, it features a powerful 'recursion' ability that returns face-down creatures to the battlefield face up if they die.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When a face-down creature you control dies, Yarus's third ability triggers. First, the game checks if the card is a permanent card in the graveyard. If it is, you return it to the battlefield face down. Immediately after it enters, you turn it face up. This process happens entirely during the resolution of the trigger, meaning your opponent cannot cast spells between the card entering face down and being turned face up.
Strategic Timing
Because Yarus turns the creature face up upon its return, it will trigger any 'when this creature enters' or 'when this creature is turned face up' abilities. If Yarus and your face-down creatures die simultaneously—such as during a board wipe—Yarus will still see them die and trigger for each one. Note that if the card leaves the graveyard before the ability resolves, it will stay in its new zone and won't return.
Common Mistakes
A common misconception is that the creature stays face down; however, Yarus explicitly instructs you to turn it face up. If for some reason the permanent cannot be turned face up (for example, if it is a double-faced card that cannot be transformed or turned), it remains on the battlefield as a face-down 2/2 creature without ward {2}.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumIf you play Solemn Simulacrum face down (via a mechanic like Cloak or Disguise) and it dies while Yarus is on the battlefield, Yarus triggers. The Simulacrum returns to the battlefield face down and is immediately turned face up. This triggers its 'enters the battlefield' ability, allowing you to search for a basic land. Since it died, you also get the 'dies' trigger to draw a card!
Eternal WitnessWhen a face-down Eternal Witness is destroyed in combat, Yarus returns it to the battlefield face down and turns it face up. This triggers the Witness's ability, allowing you to target a card in your graveyard—perhaps the very spell your opponent used to kill the Witness—and return it to your hand.
If you attack with three face-down creatures and all three deal combat damage to the same opponent, Yarus's second ability triggers exactly once, letting you draw one card. However, if those three creatures each attacked a different player in a multiplayer game, you would draw three cards total.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Normally, combat damage is dealt all at the same time. In that case, Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods's last ability triggers once for each player that face-down creatures you control dealt combat damage to, regardless of how many creatures were dealing that damage. If any of those face-down creatures have double strike or first strike, the ability will trigger once for each player dealt damage in each combat damage step.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods dies at the same time as one or more face-down creatures you control, its last ability triggers for each of those creatures.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If a face-down creature dies but the permanent card it becomes in the graveyard leaves the graveyard before Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods's last ability resolves, it will not return to the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a permanent card that would be returned to the battlefield face down by Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods's last ability can't be turned face up for some reason, it'll still be returned to the battlefield, but it will stay face down. In that case, it will be a 2/2 creature with no name, mana cost, or creature types. Since it isn't disguised or cloaked, it won't have ward
.No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods + Ashcloud Phoenix + Goblin Bombardment
- 1Activate Goblin Bombardment by sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix.
- 2When Ashcloud Phoenix dies, its first ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down.
- 3Resolve the Goblin Bombardment ability, dealing 1 damage to any target.
- 4Activate Goblin Bombardment by sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix.
- 5Yarus' second ability triggers, returning Ashcloud Phoenix from your graveyard to the battlefield face down, and then turning it face up.
- 6Ashcloud Phoenix's second ability triggers, dealing 2 damage to each player.
- 7Resolve the Goblin Bombardment ability, dealing 1 damage to any target.
- 8Repeat.
Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods + Ashcloud Phoenix + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix, adding
. - 2When Ashcloud Phoenix dies, its first ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down.
- 3Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix, adding .
- 4Yarus' second ability triggers, returning Ashcloud Phoenix from your graveyard to the battlefield face down, and then turning it face up.
- 5Ashcloud Phoenix's second ability triggers, dealing 2 damage to each player.
- 6Repeat.
Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods + Ashcloud Phoenix + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix, adding one mana of any color.
- 2When Ashcloud Phoenix dies, its first ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down.
- 3Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix, adding one mana of any color.
- 4Yarus' second ability triggers, returning Ashcloud Phoenix from your graveyard to the battlefield face down, and then turning it face up.
- 5Ashcloud Phoenix's second ability triggers, dealing 2 damage to each player.
- 6Repeat.
Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods + Obscuring Aether + Deathmist Raptor + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Obscuring Aether by paying
, turning it face-down as a 2/2 creature. - 2Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Obscuring Aether, adding .
- 3When Obscuring Aether dies, Yarus's second ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield face down, then turning it face up.
- 4Deathmist Raptor triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield face down.
- 5Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Deathmist Raptor, adding one mana of any color.
- 6When Deathmist Raptor dies, Yarus's second ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield face down, then turning it face up.
- 7Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Deathmist Raptor, adding one mana of any color.
- 8Repeat.
Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods + Ashcloud Phoenix + Blasting Station
- 1Activate Blasting Station by tapping it and sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix.
- 2When Ashcloud Phoenix dies, its first ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down.
- 3When Ashcloud Phoenix enters the battlefield face-down, Blasting Station triggers, untapping Blasting Station.
- 4Resolve the Blasting Station ability from step 1, dealing 1 damage to any target.
- 5Activate Blasting Station by tapping it and sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix.
- 6Yarus' second ability triggers, returning Ashcloud Phoenix from your graveyard to the battlefield face down, and then turning it face up.
- 7Blasting Station and Ashcloud Phoenix's second ability trigger.
- 8Resolve the Blasting Station trigger, untapping it.
Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods + Ashcloud Phoenix + Spawning Pit
- 1Activate Spawning Pit by sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix.
- 2When Ashcloud Phoenix dies, its first ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down.
- 3Resolve the Spawning Pit ability
- 4Activate Spawning Pit by sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix.
- 5Yarus' second ability triggers, returning Ashcloud Phoenix from your graveyard to the battlefield face down, and then turning it face up.
- 6Ashcloud Phoenix's second ability triggers, dealing 2 damage to each player.
- 7Resolve the Spawning Pit ability
- 8Repeat.
Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods + Ashcloud Phoenix + Altar of Dementia
- 1Activate Altar of Dementia by sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix.
- 2When Ashcloud Phoenix dies, its first ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down.
- 3Resolve the Altar of Dementia ability, causing target player to mill cards equal to Ashcloud Phoenix's power.
- 4Activate Altar of Dementia by sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix.
- 5Yarus' second ability triggers, returning Ashcloud Phoenix from your graveyard to the battlefield face down, and then turning it face up.
- 6Ashcloud Phoenix's second ability triggers, dealing 2 damage to each player.
- 7Resolve the Altar of Dementia ability, causing target player to mill cards equal to Ashcloud Phoenix's power.
- 8Repeat.
Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods + Ashcloud Phoenix + Thermopod
- 1Activate Thermopod's second ability by sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix, adding
. - 2When Ashcloud Phoenix dies, its first ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield face-down.
- 3Activate Thermopod's second ability by sacrificing Ashcloud Phoenix, adding .
- 4Yarus' second ability triggers, returning Ashcloud Phoenix from your graveyard to the battlefield face down, and then turning it face up.
- 5Ashcloud Phoenix's second ability triggers, dealing 2 damage to each player.
- 6Repeat.
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