Disturb
Keyword Ability
Type	Static
Introduced	Innistrad: Midnight Hunt
Last used	Innistrad: Crimson Vow
Reminder Text	Disturb (You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.)
Statistics	32 cards 31.3% 43.8% 3.1% 21.9%
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keyword:"disturb"

Disturb is a keyword ability introduced in Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, where it is connected to creatures resurrected in Spirit form.^[1][2][3] Disturb was also used in Innistrad: Crimson Vow.^[4]

Description

Spells with disturb can be cast from the graveyard transformed for their disturb cost.

Disturb is another creature-return mechanic in the vein of Escape or Embalm, able to be cast from the graveyard for extra value after its death. While Embalm correlates strongly to Flashback for creatures, Disturb is synonymous to Aftermath; the back side is an entirely different matter, with some thematic flavor or mechanical link. Ghoulcaller's Accomplice and Dauntless Cathar played in this space previously.

If a card with disturb is in your graveyard, you can cast it. Disturb provides you with an alternative cost with an amount of mana you'll have to pay. Disturb doesn't change when you can cast the spell. Unlike every other transforming double-faced card seen thus far, you're actually casting the back face. In Midnight Hunt, all back faces cast with Disturb are Spirit creatures with flying, and are exiled if countered or killed. In Crimson Vow, all back faces are Auras with the same exile clause, with the front side all being Spirits.

Casting a spell using disturb doesn't change any of the normal rules for casting a spell. The spell goes on the stack transformed. It can be countered or otherwise responded to. Its converted mana cost doesn't change — it's always based on the mana cost, not the disturb cost.

Whereas the disturb cards in Midnight Hunt were creatures on both sides (specifically, non-Spirits on the front and Spirits on the back), the ones in Crimson Vow are Spirit creatures on the front and Auras on the back.^[4]

History

When Innistrad: Midnight Hunt took the decayed Zombie creature tokens from Innistrad: Crimson Vow, they traded them the Spirit mechanic."^[3] The original version of the Spirit mechanic for Midnight Hunt was double-faced creature cards that died into auras that granted a similar ability, sort of a re-done haunt using double-faced card technology. Set design ended up turning that into disturb (meaning there was a cost to pay to “cast” the backside) and then realized they could do two versions and it made sense to do the creature/creature version first and give the second version to the next set.^[5][6]

Startled Awake is another previous design that has similarities to Disturb, though it does not explicitly cast. As such, its nature as a transforming Sorcery is still unique.

Retro frame Disturb cards in Innistrad Remastered feature both the tombstone icon and the DFC triangle in their left upper corner (e.g. Lunarch Veteran).

Examples

Rules

Rulings

• Disturb is found only on the front faces of some double-faced cards.^[7]
• "Disturb [cost]" means "You may cast this card transformed from your graveyard by paying [cost] rather than its mana cost."
• When you cast a spell using a card's disturb ability, the card is put onto the stack with its back face up. The resulting spell has all the characteristics of that face.
• To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a disturb cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of a spell cast using disturb is determined by the mana cost on the front face of the card, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was. (This is a special rule that applies only to transforming double faced-cards, including ones with disturb.)
• A spell cast this way enters the battlefield with its back face up.
• If you copy a permanent spell cast this way (perhaps with a card like Double Major), the copy becomes a token that's a copy of the card's back face, even though it isn't itself a double-faced card.
• The back face of each card with disturb has an ability that instructs its controller to exile if it would be put into a graveyard from anywhere. This includes going to the graveyard from the stack, so if the spell is countered after you cast it using the disturb ability, it will be put into exile.
• Disturb's permission doesn't change when you may cast the spell from your graveyard.
• If a card has multiple abilities giving you permission to cast it, such as two disturb abilities or a disturb ability and a flashback ability, you choose which one to apply. The others have no effect.
• If you cast a spell with its disturb permission, you can't choose to apply any other alternative costs or to cast it without paying its mana cost. If it has any additional costs, you must pay those.
• If a card with disturb is put into your graveyard during your turn, you'll be able to cast it right away if it's legal to do so, before an opponent can take any actions.
• Once you begin casting a spell with disturb, it immediately moves to the stack transformed. Players can't take any other actions until you're done casting the spell.

References