Devour

Devour (Devour [type])
Keyword Ability
Type	Static
Introduced	Shards of Alara
Last used	Jurassic World Collection
Reminder Text	Devour N (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with N times that many +1/+1 counters on it.) Devour [type] N (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of [type] permanents. This creature enters the battlefield with N times that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
Storm Scale	6
Statistics	21 cards 4.8% 14.3% 28.6% 28.6% 19% 4.8%
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Devour"

Devour is a static ability first introduced in Shards of Alara.

Description

Devour is Jund's signature mechanic, and it received cards throughout the entirety of the Alara block. Before a creature with Devour enters the battlefield, the player may sacrifice any number of creatures to the devourer to add +1/+1 counters to it when it enters. This is a replacement effect rather than a trigger; it will enter at the larger size.

Devour holds a 6 on the storm scale and has been quantified as the example of a 6 - the mechanic is narrow, rather unpopular, but flavorful. The specificity of the payoff may have led to the more variable designs of Emerge and Exploit.

After Alara block, Devour returned in the Primordial Hunger deck of Planechase 2012, Commander 2015, Modern Horizons, Commander 2020 and as a one-off on in the Lord of the Rings Holiday Release.

Rules

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

Devour

A keyword ability that can have a creature enter the battlefield with +1/+1 counters on it. See rule 702.82, “Devour.”

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

• 702.82. Devour
  • 702.82a Devour is a static ability. “Devour N” means “As this object enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This permanent enters the battlefield with N +1/+1 counters on it for each creature sacrificed this way.”
  • 702.82b Some objects have abilities that refer to the number of creatures the permanent devoured. “It devoured” means “sacrificed as a result of its devour ability as it entered the battlefield.”
  • 702.82c Devour [quality] is a variant of devour. “Devour [quality] N” means “As this object enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of [quality] permanents. This permanent enters the battlefield with N +1/+1 counters on it for each permanent sacrificed this way.”

Devour [type]

With Caprichrome, Modern Horizons 2 introduced the keyword variant Devour artifact, which changes the type that can be devoured to artifacts. Feasting Hobbit from Lord of the Rings Commander added Devour Food, focusing on Food.

Rulings

• Devour appears only on creature cards.
• A creature with devour can devour other creatures no matter how it enters the battlefield.
• You may choose to not sacrifice any creatures.
• If you cast a creature with devour as a spell, you choose how many and which creatures to devour as part of the resolution of that spell. (It can't be countered at this point.) The same is true of a spell or ability that lets you put a creature with devour onto the battlefield.
• You may sacrifice only creatures that are already on the battlefield. If a creature with devour and another creature are entering the battlefield under your control at the same time, the creature with devour can't devour that other creature. The creature with devour also can't devour itself.
• If multiple creatures with devour are entering the battlefield under your control at the same time, you may use each one's devour ability. A creature you already control can be devoured by only one of them, however. (In other words, you can't sacrifice the same creature to satisfy multiple devour abilities.) All creatures devoured this way are sacrificed at the same time.

Examples

Example 1

Gorger Wurm
Creature — Wurm
5/5
Devour 1 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with that many +1/+1 counters on it.)

Example 2

Thromok the Insatiable
Legendary Creature — Hellion
0/0
Devour X, where X is the number of creatures devoured this way (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it for each of those creatures.)

Plane card that grants Devour

• Jund (Whenever a player casts a black, red, or green creature spell - devour 5)

Trivia

• Devour was featured as rules card 4 of 5 in the Shards of Alara set.
• Devouring Hellion has a form of Devour 2 that includes Planeswalkers.

External links

• A Planeswalker's Primer for Jund (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.