Keep the announcement and download apart.
| Source | Date or version | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Rules download | Effective September 25, 2026 | 712.1 includes meld in the double-faced-card category; section 713 is about substitute cards. |
| MBC update bulletin | Published October 19, 2026 | Announces a separate meld section, 713, and the resulting classification change. |
| Our verification | October 22, 2026 | The official rules page still links the September 25 download. The later effective date remains unconfirmed in this guide. |
A search result saying “rule 713” is not enough to identify its subject. Keep the document’s effective date beside the number. The same caution applies to an explanation written before or after a reorganization.
Overgrown Pest has two ways to find a card.
Its triggered ability can select a land or a double-faced card from the cards it examines. A card only needs to satisfy one of those alternatives. Removing meld from the second category does not remove an independently qualifying land from the first.
| Card among the examined cards | September 25 rules | Under the announced change | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gisela, the Broken Blade ↗ | Can be selected | Cannot be selected through either of these options | It is a nonland meld card. Losing the double-faced classification removes its qualifying option here. |
| Hanweir Battlements ↗ | Can be selected | Can still be selected | It remains a land. The separate land option is sufficient. |
| A card that remains double-faced | Can be selected | Can still be selected through that option | The announcement does not remove the whole double-faced-card option from Overgrown Pest. |
The examples concern the cards being examined by the ability. They do not treat a melded permanent on the battlefield as a single card waiting in your library.
A category change does not cancel the meld pair.
A meld pair still needs the conditions in its own card text to produce its combined permanent. Excluding that pair from the double-faced-card category does not itself remove its meld instruction or make either component a different card.
Likewise, the issue here is an effect that specifically looks for double-faced cards. It is not a new permission to put cards into a Commander deck, and it does not independently alter a card’s color identity or format availability.
When checking another interaction, identify exactly which category its wording references. An effect looking for a land, a creature, or a named card is asking a different question from an effect looking for a double-faced card.
Before relying on the interaction
- Open the official rules page and record the effective date of its current document.
- Find the classification rule in that version.
- Read all alternatives in the resolving ability, including the land option.
- For an organized event, ask the judge or organizer which official update applies if sources differ.
The new-card Commander date in the product schedule is November 13, 2026. It does not independently establish when this classification update takes effect. Keep card legality and rule-version timing as separate checks.
Are meld cards double-faced right now?
In the September 25 document linked by Wizards at our October 22 check, yes. The October 19 bulletin announces the opposite classification for its planned update. Recheck the official download before applying this guide later.
Why does Hanweir Battlements still work in the comparison?
Because it satisfies the land alternative. Losing the other qualifying category would not make it stop being a land.
Sources & verification
Checked October 22, 2026. These are independent explanations and worked examples. Current official rules, Oracle text, and the applicable event instructions take precedence.
- October 19 update bulletin
- Comprehensive Rules — September 25, 2026 version
- Current Comprehensive Rules
- Product details & current legality dates
Found a conflicting source? Send a correction with the card, page, and official wording.