Scry

Scry
Keyword Action
Introduced	Alliances (mechanic) Fifth Dawn (keyword)
Last used	Evergreen
Reminder Text	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.) Scry 1 (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
Storm Scale	1
Statistics	291 cards 0.7% 9.3% 39.9% 7.6% 8.6% 5.2% 1.7% 0.7% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1% 3.1% 0.7% 1.4% 1.7% 1.4% 8.2% 7.9%
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Scry"

Scry is a keyword action that allows a player to look at a certain number of cards from the top of their library and put them on the bottom of the library or back on top in any order. It primarily features on instants and sorceries, but has also appeared on creatures, artifacts, lands (including a cycle first printed in Theros block), and enchantments. It is also part of the Vancouver mulligan.

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. When the mechanic became evergreen some older cards like Soldevi Excavations and Opt were errata'd to have the keyword.

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 N", indicating that it is no longer a keyword ability but an action.

According to Mark Rosewater, any color can scry 1, but scrying more is limited to certain colors. Blue is the primary color to scry. It also gets the largest scry numbers with red getting the lowest.

In 2015, the Battle for Zendikar prerelease brought scry into the mulligan rules (then called the "Vancouver" mulligan). In those mulligan rules, all players that kept less than 7 cards in their starting hand would scry 1.

Mechanical relevance

Despite the keyword being prevalent in all sets and colors, caring about scrying is a rare occurrence. Two cards in Theros block triggered upon scrying, and nearly nine years later Elminster was the next to do so.

• Knowledge and Power — deals damage
• Flamespeaker Adept — gets +2/+0 and first strike
• Elminster — reduces costs of instants and sorceries
• The Temporal Anchor — exiles "bottomed" cards for casting
• Kenessos, Priest of Thassa — increases scry number

Rules

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

Scry

To manipulate some of the cards on top of your library. See rule 701.18, “Scry.”

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. Some spells with scry, e.g. all of them 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. Other cards (e.g. Read the Bones) 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.

Examples

Example 1

Fill with Fright
Sorcery
Target player discards two cards. Scry 2. (Look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)

Example 2

Judge Unworthy
Instant
Choose target attacking or blocking creature. Scry 3, then reveal the top card of your library. Judge Unworthy deals damage equal to that card's converted mana cost to that creature. (To scry 3, look at the top three cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)

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.".

Scrycast

Scrycast is a mechanic that appeared on a test card in the convention version of the Mystery Booster set, on Biting Remark. If a card with Scrycast is seen while scrying, its owner may reveal it and cast it for its Scrycast cost.

External links

• A Planeswalker's Primer for Magic 2011: Scry (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.