How does manifesting work?

Question

If I play Soul Summons, and manifest a card from the top of my library,

1) Do I get to see the front of the card?

2) Does my opponent get to see the front of the card?

3) If I am not allowed to see the front of the card, how will I know if it is a creature or not?

4) Does a manifested card go onto the stack before it goes onto the battlefield?

5) Is the card manifested at the time that my manifesting spell resolves?

Answer 1

1. Yes, you may look at the card, since you control it:

707.5. At any time, you may look at a face-down spell you control on the stack or a face-down permanent you control (even if it’s phased out). You can’t look at face-down cards in any other zone or face-down spells or permanents controlled by another player.

2. No, your opponent may not look at the card, since 707.5 only allows the controller to look at it.

3. N/A see #1

4. No, a manifested card does not go on the stack; manifesting is an action taken as part of a spell/ability resolving.

5. See #4

Also, see rule 701.34 for more information on the keyword Manifest.

Answer 2

Jon's answers for 1-3 are correct but there's some ambiguity in the question (and thus the answers) for 4 and 5 wasn't really addressed.

1. The front face of a morphed or manifested card is known to the controller of that card, in order to know you can look at it at any time. (707.5)
2. No, your opponent does not get to see the front face of any cards placed face down, unless they have some effect allowing them to (Lens of Clarity). They do get to know which face down creature is which however. (707.6)
3. Since you are always allowed to look, you will always know.
4. This question could mean a few things, but for manifest the answer is always no (this is different for morph):
   • If you are asking if the card goes on stack when it moves from the top of the library, no. The ability that caused it to move was on stack, but the manifested creature was not. (note: this is not true for morph, which is casting that card face down, this uses the stack)
   • If you are asking if the card goes on stack when it is turned face up, no. The creature never leaves the battlefield, paying to turn it face up does not use the stack either. (note: this one is true for morph also)
5. Yes. Spells and abilities that manifest a creature work like every other spell or ability, the instructions on them are followed while it is resolving and when it finishes resolving and is removed from the stack, their effects will have happened. In the case of manifest, when the spell or ability that causes a creature to manifest will have caused it to manifest before it finishes resolving.