Horizon Scholar MTG Card

Horizon Scholar’s scry ability provides strategic foresight into upcoming plays for optimal deck use. Its 4/4 flying presence can quickly steer games towards victory by dominating the skies. The card’s specific mana cost and discard requirement may restrict its deck flexibility.

Theros (THS)
2013-09-27 - Number 51

Core Set 2019 (M19)
2018-07-13 - Number 59

Horizon Scholar - Commander Legends (CMR)

Commander Legends (CMR)
2020-11-20 - Number 73

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Sphinx
Abilities	Flying,Scry
Power	4
Toughness	4

Text of card

Flying When Horizon Scholar enters the battlefield, 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.)

Cards like Horizon Scholar

Horizon Scholar is a spellbinding presence in the world of Magic: The Gathering, where it takes its place among the pantheon of flying creatures. Notably, the card shares a kinship with creatures like Air Elemental, which is also known for its baseline flying ability. What makes Horizon Scholar stand out is its potential to scry 2 upon entering the battlefield, providing that ever-crucial card selection.

Another family member in this aerial enclave is Sphinx of Uthuun. This creature offers a similar effect with its Flying attribute and provides a Fact or Fiction mechanic upon entering the battlefield, allowing you to reveal the top five cards of your library and separate them into two piles. The unique twist with Sphinx of Uthuun is the added interaction with an opponent, making it a more engaging and potentially game-altering play. While Horizon Scholar ensures that you calibrate your next draws, Sphinx of Uthuun could furnish you with an immediate bulk of card options.

Assessing the flyers within the game, Horizon Scholar claims a respectable spot for those who value the foresight that scrying provides, while still presenting a formidable threat in the skies. Its blend of aerial supremacy and strategic depth secures its position in many players’ collections.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Horizon Scholar, the act of playing this creature allows you to scry 2, offering foresight into upcoming draws. This strategic advantage can set you up for future turns and ensures you make the most of your deck’s capabilities.

Resource Acceleration: Although the card itself doesn’t generate additional resources directly, its considerable power and toughness can quickly shift the game in your favor. By commanding the skies with a 4/4 flying creature, you apply pressure that can accelerate the game towards a win before your opponent’s resources come online.

Instant Speed: While the Horizon Scholar card itself doesn’t function at instant speed, the information gained through its scry ability can help you to better allocate resources, including when to hold up mana for instant-speed interactions. Understanding the landscape of your future turns is crucial for timing your instant spells effectively.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Horizon Scholar demands that you discard a card to achieve the scry effect. This mechanic, while potentially strategic, can be burdensome, especially when cards in hand are crucial for upcoming plays or if your hand is already depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: With a specific mana cost that includes double blue, this card mandates a commitment to blue mana sources in your deck construction. This can restrict its inclusion in multicolored decks that have a tight color balance or ones that can’t reliably provide enough blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At six mana to cast, Horizon Scholar may arrive on the battlefield too late in the game. Considering the pace of most matches, the cost-to-impact ratio could be inefficient compared to other creatures or spells that offer immediate impact or possess lower mana costs.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Horizon Scholar brings to the table a potent combination of flying prowess and a cerebral edge. This high-flying threat slots smoothly into control decks and can act as a finisher in mid-range builds, thanks to its solid body that is hard to block and its scry ability which ensures your next draws are impactful.

Combo Potential: When it enters the battlefield, the scry 2 ability of Horizon Scholar sets up your next moves, allowing you to sift through your deck for combo pieces or essential spells. Additionally, its synergy with blink effects can repeatedly exploit its scry ability, keeping you steps ahead of your opponent.

Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves and the meta shifts, having a flyer that can also manipulate the top of your deck keeps you at an advantage. In environments where board control and card quality are paramount, Horizon Scholar can be an unexpected ace that helps tilt the match in your favor.

How to Beat

Horizon Scholar is a powerful card in Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to give players a significant aerial threat while also providing valuable card filtering upon entering the battlefield. As a six-mana 4/4 flyer with Scry 2, it can be a game-changer. Nevertheless, like all cards in MTG, there are strategies to effectively counter it.

To combat Horizon Scholar, removal spells are your best ally. Instant-speed removal such as Murder or Hero’s Downfall allow you to deal with the Scholar before it can impact the game, especially since it doesn’t have any inherent protection. Counterspells are also highly effective; by countering it on cast, you prevent its Scry ability from triggering. Enchantment-based removal like Pacifism or Capture Sphere can neutralize the Scholar without triggering its enter-the-battlefield effect, turning it into a benign presence on the board. Lastly, since the Scholar is a creature with flying, cards like Plummet or Windstorm can be used as efficient and direct responses to clear the skies and keep your opponent’s threats at bay.

Horizon Scholar may seem daunting with its combination of size and utility, but with proper preparation and the right answers in your deck, ensuring it never tips the scales in your opponent’s favor is well within reach.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Horizon Scholar MTG card by a specific set like Theros and Core Set 2019, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Horizon Scholar and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Horizon Scholar Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2013-09-27 and 2020-11-20. Illustrated by Karl Kopinski.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2013-09-27	Theros	THS	51	2003	Normal	Black	Karl Kopinski
2	2018-07-13	Core Set 2019	M19	59	2015	Normal	Black	Karl Kopinski
3	2020-11-20	Commander Legends	CMR	73	2015	Normal	Black	Karl Kopinski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Horizon Scholar has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Horizon Scholar card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2013-09-15	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 won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won't scry.
2013-09-15	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.
2013-09-15	You choose how to order cards returned to your library after scrying no matter where you put them.
2013-09-15	You perform the actions stated on a card in sequence. For some spells and abilities, that means you'll scry last. For others, that means you'll scry and then perform other actions.