Other ways to play

Backstab Rumble

An official option for pure chaos. Deal one Leader, and make every other identity a Traitor. There are no Guardians and no Assassins, so every hidden player is out for themselves.

• Each Traitor still needs to be the last player standing, so nobody wants the Leader dead early.
• Once the Leader is gone, there is no team win to end things: the remaining Traitors fight it out to the last one.
• For a nasty surprise, the organiser can keep the choice secret. Everyone assumes a normal game, and the table slowly works out that nobody is on anybody’s side.
• You need a Traitor for every seat but one, so check your pool. The Treachery.app set has 13 Traitors.

Rule reference: TR11.1. The secret version bends the usual rule that role counts are public (TR2.3), which is why everyone has to agree to “surprise variants” in general beforehand.

Basic lands as roles

No identity cards and no phones? Use four types of basic land as plain role cards. You lose the unveil abilities, but the hidden-team game still works, and it is a great way to teach the core idea.

Build the pile with the usual role counts, shuffle and deal. With no unveil costs, “unveiling” just means flipping your land face up when you want to claim your role openly. Undercover doesn’t apply.

Rarity pools

Identity rarity is meant to show complexity, not power. Uncommons are short and easy to read, rares add more moving parts, and mythics include the identities that swap cards around or rewrite the end of the game. The Treachery.app set has:

A common path: uncommons only for the first game or two, then add rares, then mythics once everyone knows the flow. Each rarity on its own has enough identities for an eight-player game. Bigger groups may need to mix rarities: mythics alone have only three Assassins.

A beginner set

Our pick for a first game: 21 identities that do one clear thing, need little tracking, and rarely end a game on their own. It covers up to 12 players. Mostly uncommons, with a few easy-to-read rares and mythics standing in for the swingiest uncommons.

Leader 5

• 

  The Blood Empress

  Identity — Leader

  (Start the game with this identity face up in the command zone. You are the starting player.) Whenever one or more creatures your opponents control leave the battlefield, choose two. This ability triggers only once each turn. • Create a 0/1 black Thrull creature token. • Create two Blood tokens. • Tap or untap target permanent. • Target opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.

  TRE · 050/062 · U
  The Blood Empress uncommon
• 

  Her Seedborn Highness

  Identity — Leader

  (Start the game with this identity face up in the command zone. You are the starting player.) Start the game with a number of seed counters on Her Seedborn Highness equal to the number of players. {2}, Remove a seed counter from Her Seedborn Highness: Untap all permanents you control. Activate only once each turn.

  TRE · 055/062 · U
  Her Seedborn Highness uncommon
• 

  The Old Ruler

  Identity — Leader

  (Start the game with this identity face up in the command zone. You are the starting player.) Your starting life total is increased by 20. Your starting hand size and your maximum hand size are each increased by one. At the beginning of your first upkeep, create a Blood token, a Clue token, a Food token, a Map token, and a Treasure token.

  TRE · 059/062 · U
  The Old Ruler uncommon
• 

  The Queen of Light

  Identity — Leader

  (Start the game with this identity face up in the command zone. You are the starting player.) Start the game with a number of purification counters on The Queen of Light equal to half the number of players, rounded down. {3}, Remove a purification counter from The Queen of Light: Exile a permanent of your choice. (This ability doesn’t target anything. You choose a permanent as it resolves.)

  TRE · 060/062 · U
  The Queen of Light uncommon
• 

  The Void Tyrant

  Identity — Leader

  (Start the game with this identity face up in the command zone. You are the starting player.) Start the game with a number of void counters on The Void Tyrant equal to half the number of players, rounded down. {2}, Remove a void counter from The Void Tyrant: Counter target spell or ability from a nonidentity source. (Mana abilities can’t be targeted.)

  TRE · 062/062 · U
  The Void Tyrant uncommon

Guardian 6

• 

  The Bodyguard {4}

  Identity — Guardian

  Undercover Unveil {4} When The Bodyguard is unveiled, until your next turn, prevent all damage that would be dealt to target player and each creature and planeswalker they control.

  TRE · 003/062 · U
  The Bodyguard uncommon ·
• 

  The Cathar {5}, Pay 5 life

  Identity — Guardian

  Undercover Unveil—{5}, Pay 5 life. When The Cathar is unveiled, exile up to three target nonland permanents until you lose the game. (Those permanents return under their owners’ control.)

  TRE · 004/062 · U
  The Cathar uncommon · +
• 

  The Flickering Mage {4}

  Identity — Guardian

  Undercover Unveil {4} When The Flickering Mage is unveiled, exile up to four target nonland permanents. Return those cards to the battlefield tapped under their owner’s control at the beginning of the next end step.

  TRE · 006/062 · U
  The Flickering Mage uncommon ·
• 

  The Immortal {3}

  Identity — Guardian

  Undercover Unveil {3} When The Immortal is unveiled, up to one target player gains 15 life and up to one target player shuffles their graveyard into their library.

  TRE · 009/062 · U
  The Immortal uncommon ·
• 

  The Inquisitor {X}{1}

  Identity — Guardian

  Undercover Unveil {X}{1} When The Inquisitor is unveiled, choose X other target players. They each reveal their hand. For each of those players, choose a card from their graveyard or hand and exile it.

  TRE · 010/062 · U
  The Inquisitor uncommon ·
• 

  The Oracle {2}

  Identity — Guardian

  Undercover Unveil {2} When The Oracle is unveiled, until end of turn, Leader players have protection from everything and their life totals can’t change. (They can’t be targeted, dealt damage, or enchanted by anything and their life totals can’t change.)

  TRE · 013/062 · M
  The Oracle mythic ·

Assassin 7

• 

  The Beastmaster {4}

  Identity — Assassin

  Unveil {4} When The Beastmaster is unveiled, up to two target players each create two 4/4 red and green Beast creature tokens with trample.

  TRE · 033/062 · U
  The Beastmaster uncommon ·
• 

  The Demon {4}

  Identity — Assassin

  Unveil {4} When The Demon is unveiled, target player searches their library for a card, puts that card into their hand, then shuffles.

  TRE · 037/062 · U
  The Demon uncommon ·
• 

  The Madwoman {4}

  Identity — Assassin

  Unveil {4} When The Madwoman is unveiled, tap up to two target creatures. Each of those creatures deals damage equal to its power to its controller. Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to and dealt by those creatures this turn.

  TRE · 039/062 · R
  The Madwoman rare ·
• 

  The Pyromancer {6}

  Identity — Assassin

  Unveil {6} When The Pyromancer is unveiled, if it’s your turn, it deals 6 damage to target player and each creature and planeswalker they control. If a creature is dealt damage this way, it loses indestructible until end of turn.

  TRE · 042/062 · R
  The Pyromancer rare ·
• 

  The Seer {X}

  Identity — Assassin

  Unveil {X} When The Seer is unveiled, shuffle, then scry X. Reveal the top card of your library and put it into your hand. When you reveal a nonland card this way, The Seer deals damage equal to twice that card’s mana value to any target.

  TRE · 044/062 · U
  The Seer uncommon ·
• 

  The Sigil Mage {5}

  Identity — Assassin

  Unveil {5} When The Sigil Mage is unveiled, you may cast up to two target instant or sorcery cards from graveyards without paying their mana costs.

  TRE · 046/062 · U
  The Sigil Mage uncommon ·
• 

  The War Shaman {5}

  Identity — Assassin

  Unveil {5} When The War Shaman is unveiled, destroy up to two target nonland permanents. If none of them were creatures, create an X/X red Elemental creature token, where X is the total mana value of the permanents destroyed this way.

  TRE · 049/062 · R
  The War Shaman rare ·

Traitor 3

• 

  The Banisher {7}

  Identity — Traitor

  Unveil {7} When The Banisher is unveiled, exile any number of target creatures. Draw a card for each nontoken creature exiled this way.

  TRE · 019/062 · U
  The Banisher uncommon ·
• 

  The Oneiromancer {X}{X}

  Identity — Traitor

  Unveil {X}{X} When The Oneiromancer is unveiled, exile the top X cards of each player’s library face down. You may look at cards exiled with The Oneiromancer. Once each turn, you may cast a spell among cards exiled with The Oneiromancer without paying its mana cost. When you do, exile the top card of target player’s library face down.

  TRE · 026/062 · U
  The Oneiromancer uncommon ·
• 

  The Time Bender {6}

  Identity — Traitor

  Unveil {6} When The Time Bender is unveiled, choose two — • Each player shuffles their hand and graveyard into their library, then draws seven cards. • Take an extra turn after this one. • End the turn.

  TRE · 029/062 · R
  The Time Bender rare ·

Identities groups often leave out

No identity is banned, and the original designers consider them balanced. In practice, a handful tend to decide games by themselves or stall the table, and they are the usual first cuts when a group wants steadier games:

• 

  The Golem {6}

  Identity — Guardian

  Undercover Unveil {6} When The Golem is unveiled, target Leader player loses 6 life and you gain 6 life. Leader players have hexproof and can’t be attacked. (Until you lose the game.)

  TRE · 007/062 · U
  The Golem uncommon ·
• 

  The Quellmaster {9}

  Identity — Guardian

  Undercover Unveil {9}. This cost is reduced by {1} for each creature controlled by non-Leader players. When The Quellmaster is unveiled, tap all creatures controlled by non-Leader players and put a stun counter on each of them. (If a permanent with a stun counter would become untapped, remove one from it instead.)

  TRE · 014/062 · R
  The Quellmaster rare ·
• 

  The Gatekeeper {3}

  Identity — Traitor

  Unveil {3} When The Gatekeeper is unveiled, create Cerberus, a legendary 4/8 black and red Demon Dog creature token with menace, double strike, trample, and lifelink. {2}: Turn The Gatekeeper face down.

  TRE · 022/062 · U
  The Gatekeeper uncommon ·
• 

  The Grenadier {X}

  Identity — Traitor

  Unveil {X} When The Grenadier is unveiled, create X plus three colorless artifact tokens named Explosive. {1}, Sacrifice a token named Explosive: Choose one — • Destroy target nonland permanent. • Target player loses 3 life.

  TRE · 023/062 · U
  The Grenadier uncommon ·
• 

  The Treacherous Masochist {0}

  Identity — Traitor

  Unveil {0} If you would be the first player to lose the game, or tied for first, instead you win the game. (You still win the game if you are the last player standing.) As long as no player has lost the game, spells and abilities you control can’t cause you to lose the game, and you can’t pay life.

  TRE · 030/062 · M
  The Treacherous Masochist mythic ·
• 

  The Puppet Master {6}

  Identity — Traitor

  Unveil {6} When The Puppet Master is unveiled, redistribute control of any number of other identity cards. Then turn face down each of those cards that isn’t a Leader. (Each player must control one identity card.) You may look at face-down identity cards you don’t control any time. At the beginning of your end step, draw two cards.

  TRE · 027/062 · M
  The Puppet Master mythic ·

This is our judgement from play, not an official list. Leave them in if your table enjoys the chaos; they make for the best stories.

Without Commander

Treachery runs on top of any multiplayer Magic game. With 60-card decks, cubes or precons, start at 20 life and use that format’s usual rules. Everything else stays the same.

What Treachery.app supports

Play online