How to scry in MTG and use it to your advantage (2024)

Scrying is an evergreen ability in Magic: The Gathering, meaning that it appears regularly in Standard sets. It’s been a keyword since 2004’s Fifth Dawn set and used in almost every set since then. If you’re playing Magic for even a short period of time, odds are you will run into the scry ability with how common it is. There are layers to scrying that can help you push your advantage with it. This is how to scry in Magic: The Gathering and use it to your advantage.

How to Scry in Magic: The Gathering

In order to scry, you need to use a spell or ability that has the scry ability. This often comes with another effect, as is the case of Opt which also lets you draw a card.

The act of scrying is done by looking at the top card(s) of your library and putting them either on the top or bottom of your library in any order. The number listed after the scry ability tells you how many cards you look at. So for example, a card with scry three lets you look at the top three cards of your deck and put any amount on top or bottom and you can choose the order they are put in. 

While you are scrying, you cannot use any spell or ability regardless of what card type it is. It is an ability that has to fully resolve before doing anything else. If scrying is an activated ability, you can stack spells and effects so long as scrying has not started as you are responding to the ability activating not the effect itself.

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Scrying twice at once

There are certain times when a scry ability will trigger twice. This is rare but when it does happen, they all trigger separately. For example, if an effect causes you to scry one twice, you resolve one scry effect and then another. This does not turn into scry two and is instead two separate instances of scry one. 

How to use Scry to your advantage

There are multiple cards that benefit from scrying itself. They usually have effects that trigger whenever you scry, such as giving your creatures +1/+1 counters or discounter your next spells. 

Many green and blue cards featured in Lord Of The Rings: Tales Of Middle-earth can be boosted by scrying. Arwen Undomiel puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature when you scry and Elvish Mariner can tap nonland permanents equal to the number of cards you look at when you scry. 

The best use of scrying is to play ahead. Since scrying lets you control the top card of your library, you can use it to know what to expect to draw. If you are behind and have the option to scry, it’s best to take it as drawing a dead card can be game-ending while guaranteeing a draw that can turn the tides of the match can lead to a full win. Scrying is the best way to see what cards to expect and ensure you don’t draw into something that won’t do anything. 

As scrying lets you put cards on the bottom of your library, you can ensure useless cards at the stage of the game you’re at won’t be seen until it doesn’t matter anymore, and powerful cards stay on the top. It’s best to stack the cards you keep on the top of your library based on how impactful you think they will be. For example, if you have a powerful spell that won’t do anything immediately but will later in the game, it’s better to put it further down rather than drawing it right away. 

In formats with hand destruction cards like Thoughtseize and Inquisition Of Kozilek, it’s better to put cards you want to save later as if the powerful cards are your next draw and you can’t cast it, they may wind up in the graveyard by an opponent’s effect. 

There are some cases where you see a powerful spell while scrying, but if you don’t have the mana to cast it, it’s sometimes better to put it at the bottom of your library. While the spell is impactful later, if you are sitting on too little lands to cast it, it’s not going to be able to do anything. Besides, most of your best spells are being played at the maximum number of copies, so you are likely to see them again over the course of a game. The potential exception from this is if you are only one land off of casting the spell. If the spell is game-winning, it can be worth the gamble of keeping it on top when scrying, especially if you are not in danger of losing the game anytime soon. 

What colours Scry the best?

While every colour has cards that can scry, blue has the most by a significant margin. Nearly 40% of all cards that scry are blue, with no other colour even coming close to that amount. However, a small handful of blue cards that scry are attached to multi-coloured spells that allow other colours to scry just as easily. However, if you want to use scrying to its maximum potential, you will need to be playing blue cards as they not only have the highest volume of scry cards, but the best ones in the game. 

That is everything you need to know about how to scry in Magic: The Gathering and how to use it to your advantage. Scrying is common in all formats, with many staples using the ability, generally in blue decks. With how common the keyword is, knowing everything about it is important to the game of Magic, as it will come up multiple times, potentially in the same single game. It’s also especially strong in Limited formats where the cards you draw are much more important since you are working with a limited selection of cards that requires you to draw your haymakers if you want to win a match.

You might also be interested in reading about the best precon Commander decks in MTG, many of which will involve scrying as a key mechanic.

How do you scry multiple cards?

If you have to scry multiple cards, you take X number of cards from the top of you library and look at the them. You can then put them back in any order.