Expose the Culprit

Expose the Culprit {1}{R}

Instant
Choose one or both —
• Turn target face-down creature face up.
• Exile any number of face-up creatures you control with disguise in a face-down pile, shuffle that pile, then cloak them.
Details
Legalities
Rulings
  • 2024-02-02 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.
  • 2024-02-02 Any time you have priority, you can turn a cloaked permanent you control face-up by revealing that it's a creature card (ignoring any copy effects or type-changing effects that might be applying to it) and paying its mana cost. This is a special action. It doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.
  • 2024-02-02 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.
  • 2024-02-02 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.
  • 2024-02-02 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.
  • 2024-02-02 If a cloaked creature would have disguise (or morph) if it were face up, you may also turn it face up by paying its disguise (or morph) cost.
  • 2024-02-02 If a double-faced card is cloaked, it will be put onto the battlefield face down. While face down, it can't transform. If the front face of the card is a creature card, you can turn it face up by paying its mana cost. If you do, its front face will be up.
  • 2024-02-02 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.
  • 2024-02-02 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.
  • 2024-02-02 If something tries to turn a face-down instant or sorcery card on the battlefield face up, reveal that card to show all players it's an instant or sorcery card. The permanent remains on the battlefield face down. Abilities that trigger when a permanent turns face up won't trigger, because even though you revealed the card, it never turned face up.
  • 2024-02-02 The pile is shuffled to disguise from your opponents which cloaked creature is which. After you cloak the creatures, you may look at them.
  • 2024-02-02 To cloak a card, put it onto the battlefield face down. It becomes a 2/2 face-down creature card with ward {2} and no name, mana cost, or creature types. It's colorless and has a mana value of 0. Other effects that apply to the permanent can still grant it any characteristics it doesn't have or change the characteristics it does have.
  • 2024-02-02 Turning a permanent face up or face down doesn't change whether that permanent is tapped or untapped.
  • 2024-02-02 Unlike a face-down creature that was cast using a disguise or morph ability, a cloaked creature may still be turned face up after it loses its abilities if it's a creature card.
  • 2024-02-02 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.
Links
Printings
  • Murders at Karlov Manor 124 307 (uncommon)

View gallery of all printings

Foreign names
  • 暴露罪犯
  • Entlarvung des Schuldigen
  • Dévoiler le coupable
  • Rivelare il Colpevole
  • 犯人暴き
  • Revelar o Culpado
  • Exponer a la culpable