{"id":840,"date":"2025-05-29T17:56:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T17:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/?p=840"},"modified":"2026-02-17T18:26:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T18:26:35","slug":"april-2025-uub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/april-2025-uub\/","title":{"rendered":"An Unofficial Update Bulletin for the Gatherer changes from April 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>(Originally published on 2025-05-29; last reviewed on 2026-02-17; last updated on 2025-05-29)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Somewhere between the <em>Aetherdrift<\/em> update and the <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm<\/em> update, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/march-2025-uub\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">updated the Gatherer page layout for double-faced cards<\/a>. This affected primarily the pages for the back faces of double-faced cards: their new layout only displayed the back face and information specific to that face, instead of both faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time (and likely caused by the layout changes), the information displayed for those card faces changed. Some planeswalkers now showed a loyalty value which had previously been missing, while mana values (including some incorrect ones) stopped being displayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my bulletin, I called that update an overall improvement, since it increased the amount of accurate information being displayed and decreased the amount of inaccurate information being displayed. Alas, all good things must come to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In April, WotC reversed the layout changes and, by extension, the changes to the displayed information. Not all cards I mentioned in the previous bulletin were affected: cards with the <em>partner with<\/em> ability and the cards listed under \u201cOther changes\u201d retain their new pages (for now). A small number of back faces still sport their new pages as well (<a href=\"#unchanged\">see below<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Disclaimer:<\/strong> While I strive for completeness and correctness, I may have missed some changes; my process for archiving and comparing Gatherer revisions is still a work in progress.<sup data-fn=\"6bd4eba4-002b-4fec-b5f2-b52dcbd4b2b3\" class=\"fn\"><a id=\"6bd4eba4-002b-4fec-b5f2-b52dcbd4b2b3-link\" href=\"#6bd4eba4-002b-4fec-b5f2-b52dcbd4b2b3\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#loyalty\">Loyalty removed (functional)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#mana-value\">Mana value added (nonfunctional)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#letters\">Letters added to collector numbers (nonfunctional)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#rulings\">Irrelevant rulings added (nonfunctional)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#unchanged\">Pages that retain their new layout (nonfunctional)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"loyalty\">Loyalty removed (functional)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>The planeswalkers which had gained a loyalty value in the previous update are back to having no loyalty value. For these cards, judges should once again overrule the official Oracle text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This update applies to: <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=398429\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Gideon, Battle-Forged<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=398435\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Jace, Telepath Unbound<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=398442\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Liliana, Defiant Necromancer<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=398423\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Chandra, Roaring Flame<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=398432\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Nissa, Sage Animist<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=447355\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Nicol Bolas, the Arisen<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=535003\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Arlinn, the Moon\u2019s Fury<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=588290\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Urza, Planeswalker<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=607307\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Teferi Akosa of Zhalfir<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=661754\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Ajani, Nacatl Avenger<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=661764\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Tamiyo, Seasoned Scholar<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=661770\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Sorin, Ravenous Neonate<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=661774\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Ral, Leyline Prodigy<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=661782\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Grist, the Plague Swarm<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=445969\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Will Kenrith<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=445970\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Rowan Kenrith<\/a> retain their loyalty values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mana-value\">Mana value added (nonfunctional)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>The updated pages for back faces once again display a mana value. In the case of the modal double-faced cards from <em>Zendikar Rising<\/em> and from <em>Modern Horizons 3<\/em>, the pages show once again the incorrect mana value (that of the front face).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"letters\">Letters added to collector numbers (nonfunctional)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>The updated pages once again display the collector number with a letter. The pages for the two halves of <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Search\/Default.aspx?name=+[B.F.M.]\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">B.F.M. (Big Furry Monster)<\/a> retain their letter-free state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"rulings\">Irrelevant rulings added (nonfunctional)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>The updated pages once again display the rulings for both faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"unchanged\">Pages that retain their new layout (nonfunctional)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>The update was not a simple revert, though. Apart from the single-faced cards which retain all of their changes, a small number of back faces managed to retain their new layout as well. Those are <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=410050\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Ormendahl, Profane Prince<\/a>, the back faces of the ten <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=503868\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Pathway lands<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=535063\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Creeping Inn<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Pages\/Card\/Details.aspx?multiverseid=588292\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Titania, Gaea Incarnate<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What they have in common is that the front face is a land and thus doesn\u2019t have a mana cost; as a result, if mana values were displayed for the back faces, they would be 0.<sup data-fn=\"e92fee0c-2e3f-464e-8308-571b0d7c6a6a\" class=\"fn\"><a id=\"e92fee0c-2e3f-464e-8308-571b0d7c6a6a-link\" href=\"#e92fee0c-2e3f-464e-8308-571b0d7c6a6a\">2<\/a><\/sup> Thus, my theory is that this partial revert was done solely to restore the displayed mana values: if it was about displaying both faces on the same page, about letters in collector numbers, or about showing additional rulings, these pages would have been reverted to their prior appearance, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choosing to display information that&#8217;s nonfunctional, trivially determined, and sometimes incorrect over displaying correct Oracle text seems a strange choice to me; then again, recent times show that WotC simply do what the overwhelming majority of players actually like. Therefore, I conclude this update bulletin with the observation that this Gatherer update probably just isn\u2019t for me; hopefully, the bulk of fans enjoy their loyalty-free, mana-valued flip walkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-footnotes\"><li id=\"6bd4eba4-002b-4fec-b5f2-b52dcbd4b2b3\">Then again, WotC often omit minor changes in their own bulletins, so it\u2019s par for the course. <a href=\"#6bd4eba4-002b-4fec-b5f2-b52dcbd4b2b3-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 1\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"e92fee0c-2e3f-464e-8308-571b0d7c6a6a\">Except for Titania, for which I have no explanation at all. <a href=\"#e92fee0c-2e3f-464e-8308-571b0d7c6a6a-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 2\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An overview of the Oracle updates released between Tarkir: Dragonstorm and Magic: The Gathering\u2014FINAL FANTASY.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":479,"featured_media":767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"[{\"id\":\"6bd4eba4-002b-4fec-b5f2-b52dcbd4b2b3\",\"content\":\"Then again, WotC often omit minor changes in their own bulletins, so it\\u2019s par for the course.\"},{\"id\":\"e92fee0c-2e3f-464e-8308-571b0d7c6a6a\",\"content\":\"Except for Titania, for which I have no explanation at all.\"}]","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"language":[],"class_list":["post-840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-unofficial-update-bulletins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/479"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=840"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2130,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840\/revisions\/2130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=840"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/nametherule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}