Scry

Scry
Keyword Action
Introduced	Fifth Dawn
Last used	Battle for Zendikar
Reminder Text	Scry y (To scry N, look at the top N cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)
Statistics	78 cards 35% 18% 10% 9% 8% 3% Multicolor 4% Land 14%
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Scry"

Scry is a keyword action that allows a player to look at a certain number of cards at the top of his or her library and put them back in any order. It primarily features on instants and sorceries, but has also appeared on creatures, an Artifact a land and an enchantment.

Scry mulligan

Also called Vancouver mulligan if performed as follows: The player shuffles his or her hand back into the library, then draws a hand of one fewer card. This part might be repeated as long as the hand size is not zero. Once all players are done, their current hand becomes the opening hands. Each player with fewer cards than their starting hand size may then scry 1.

History

The first cards with scry were designed by Aaron Forsythe and printed in Fifth Dawn. It was then expanded on several years later in Future Sight, and returned in Magic 2011 and Theros block. It became evergreen in Magic Origins.

Originally Scry was a keyword ability like Flying or First strike. It has now been errata'd to be a "keyword action", like regenerate, attach, or counter. The original cycle of Fifth Dawn instants and sorceries with Scry has been errata'd to have a period after Scry X, indicating that it is no longer a keyword.

Rules

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 701.18. Scry
  • 701.18a To “scry N” means to look at the top N cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library in any order and the rest on top of your library in any order.
  • 701.18b If a player is instructed to scry 0, no scry event occurs. Abilities that trigger whenever a player scries won’t trigger.
  • 701.18c If multiple players scry at once, each of those players looks at the top cards of their library at the same time. Those players decide in APNAP order (see rule 101.4) where to put those cards, then those cards move at the same time.
  • 701.18d An ability that triggers whenever a player scries triggers after the process described in rule 701.18a is complete, even if some or all of those actions were impossible.

Rulings

• When you scry, you may put all the cards you look at back on top of your library, you may put all of those cards on the bottom of your library, or you may put some of those cards on top and the rest of them on the bottom.
• You choose how to order those cards no matter where you put them.
• You perform the actions stated on a card in sequence. All spells with scry in the Fifth Dawn set have scry as the last part of their text, so scrying is the last thing you do before the spell is put into its owner's graveyard. Several cards in the Future Sight set have scry followed by another effect, so scrying is done before following the other instructions.
• Scry appears on some spells and abilities with one or more targets. If all of the spell or ability's targets are illegal when it tries to resolve, it will be countered and none of its effects will happen. You won't scry.
• There is one card (Eyes of the Watcher) that has a triggered ability with scry. When the triggered ability resolves, look at the top two cards of your library and then decide where you want to put them, just as though the ability were a spell with scry.

Reminder text

As of Theros block the latest reminder text for Scry differs depending on the number.

If N is 1 the reminder text reads as follows: "Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.".

External links

• A Planeswalker's Primer for Magic 2011: Scry