Hideaway in MTG: Rules, History, and Best Cards

Last updated on September 13, 2024

Watcher for Tomorrow | Illustration by Tommy Arnold

Have you ever wanted a snack but you know it’s not good for you, so you tuck it away and decide that it’s better as a reward for some accomplishment during your day? Then you treat yourself to that snack when you meet your self-imposed conditions.

That’s basically the hideaway mechanic. Almost literally. Not quite sure what I mean? Well, let’s do some learning and start figuring out what hideaway is!

How Does Hideaway Work?

Shelldock Isle | Illustration by Marija Tiurina

Hideaway lets you look at a predetermined number of cards from the top of your library, and exiles one of those cards. Later in the game when you meet whatever conditions the hideaway card specifies, it can interact with the exiled card in some way.

Now ain’t that nifty?

The History of Hideaway

Hideaway is a sadly scarce mechanic, but a fun one. It made its first appearance in Lorwyn as a rare land cycle when the set was released in 2007. Each land had different conditions you’d have to meet before being able to activate their ability and use the exiled card.

Hideaway didn't appear again until Modern Horizons 2 in 2021 on just one card. While the keyword hadn’t been used at all since its first appearance 14 years before, it found its way onto a whole different card type for its return. This time you didn’t have to meet any conditions to play the card from exile because you actually couldn’t. Instead Watcher for Tomorrow had to leave the battlefield to put the exiled card into your hand.

Streets of New Capenna came with a plethora of mechanics by its side, new and old. Hideaway was among the returning mechanics and came on five new mono-color enchantments in the set. Notably, there was a rules tweak that separated the “enters tapped” ability from the hideaway effect, which was originally part of hideaway itself. That part of the effect wasn't removed from the previous hideaway cards, which were instead errata'd with the “enters tapped” text on a separate line.

Hideaway is a super fun mechanic, but it isn’t evergreen as evidenced by its 14-year absence from the game.

The original hideaway lands do get reprinted from time to time, but only some of them. Spinerock Knoll, Windbrisk Heights, and Mosswort Bridge are mainstay reprints in various Commander precons, but have never reappeared in a mainline set.

Can You Cast Cards from Hideaway at Instant Speed?

Yes, you can cast the exiled cards at instant speed. In the case of the Lorwyn lands, their ability to play the exiled card without paying a mana cost ignores standard timing restrictions. You can play a creature or sorcery or anything else you’d normally have to cast on your main phase as if it has flash.

That said, you still have to abide by any timing restrictions dictated by the card. This is only something to keep in mind with the lands; you can't play a land on an opponent's turn even if one of the hideaway lands tries to do so.

Does Hideaway Count as Casting?

If you’re referring to the hideaway ability triggering, no it doesn’t count as casting. It’s an ability. But you’re likely asking about when you play the card using the land’s ability, which depends on what type of card you exiled.

If you exiled and play a land with the hideaway ability, then it doesn't count as casting. But if you exiled and play any other kind of card with the hideaway ability, then it does count as casting. This is because lands are never cast, only “played,” while “playing a card” is analogous to casting it.

Can You Play Lands from Hideaway?

Yes, yes you can! The ability doesn’t say to cast the card, rather to play the card. If you haven’t played a land yet on your turn then you can absolutely play one from under your hideaway card. That said, that’s your land play for the turn if you do.

Can Hideaway Be Countered?

There are two opportunities when you can counter hideaway; once when the enters ability goes on the stack, which would require a Stifle effect, and once when you fulfil the hideaway condition and cast the exiled card, which can be targeted with a normal counterspell.

What if the Hidden Card has X in the Cost?

X is considered to be 0 when casting a card with hideaway, just like with any other ability that lets you play cards without paying their mana cost. Don't expect much if you still plan to play a card with X in its cost knowing this.

What if the Hidden Card Has an Alternate Casting Cost?

You can’t use alternate costs with the hideaway cards. Casting a card without paying its mana cost is an alternate cost, and you can't combine that with another. But if you want to pay an additional cost that’s all fine and dandy!

What if You Can’t Play the Card for Some Reason?

If the card has no legal targets or there’s some other problem that keeps it from being played, nothing happens and the card stays exiled. The ability only says you may play the exiled card, not that you have to. So if you can’t play the hidden card without a proper target, then that’s that. It’s best to wait for a proper target.

List of Hideaway Cards

• Howltooth Hollow
• Mosswort Bridge
• Shelldock Isle
• Spinerock Knoll
• Windbrisk Heights
• Watcher for Tomorrow
• Fight Rigging
• Widespread Thieving
• Cemetery Tampering
• Wiretapping
• Rabble Rousing
• Smuggler's Buggy
• Collector's Cage
• Evercoat Ursine

The Best Hideaway Card

Mosswort Bridge is the easiest of the original hideaway lands to use, since Commander decks are able to get to 10+ power on board consistently. It's easy to pull off in decks with big green creatures, and usually spots you another one for free.

Rabble Rousing is one of the few hideaway cards you might play even if it didn't have the hideaway effect. It just generates so many tokens and spirals quickly, which coincidentally makes getting to 10 creatures very easy.

This Big Score artifact is valuable as a +1/+1 counter engine before you even consider the hideaway ability, which is trivial to fulfil. Some decks can cast the exiled card as early as turn 3, and the Cage continues to dish out counters after you've cast your free spell.

Back to the Hiding Spot

Windbrisk Heights | Illustration by Omar Rayyan

Hideaway is a super fun mechanic. I love it dearly and I wish it would see more action. I religiously use Watcher For Tomorrow in my Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow Commander deck since it’s such a great way to enable ninjutsu and draw the cards I need when I need them.

That said, Watcher is a super powerful card and a good example of why the mechanic will probably stay scarce. At least in my opinion. Its powerful potential when blinking or flickering proves that hideaway can be dangerous if it gets into the wrong hands. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to see it more.

That’s all we’ve got time for today, folks. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little bit more about everyone’s favorite card game as much as I had fun talking about it! If you want more fun content be sure to head over to our blog or find us over on Twitter.

As always, stay safe, stay warm, and I’ll see you all back here next time!