Scour MTG Card

Deck cycling with Scour ensures drawing into key cards for a strategic advantage during games. Scour’s instant speed play allows for greater flexibility and adaptability in matches. Despite its benefits, Scour’s discard requirement and mana specificity may hinder its use in some decks.

Urza's Destiny (UDS)
1999-06-07 - Number 18

Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
2005-02-04 - Number 20

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant

Text of card

Remove target enchantment from the game. Search its controller's graveyard, hand, and library for all copies of that card and remove them from the game. That player then shuffles his or her library.

Cards like Scour

Scour enters the well-trod territory of graveyard manipulation within Magic: The Gathering. It shares traits with cards like Tormod’s Crypt, a zero-cost artifact that purges a player’s graveyard without delay. However, Scour introduces flexibility by giving a choice to exile either all cards from a single graveyard or a single card from each graveyard. This choice can have significant strategic implications depending on the game state.

Relic of Progenitus is another card in this lineage. Although requiring one mana to cast, this artifact offers continuous graveyard control by exiling a card at a time, or as a one-off effect that wipes an entire graveyard while also drawing a card. Scour provides neither incremental control nor card draw, but it compensates with immediate, versatile impact. Then we have Nihil Spellbomb, which, in addition to clearing a graveyard, allows its controller to draw if they spend black mana. Scour lacks the card draw, but does not require mana for its one-shot use, a potential boon for mana efficiency.

In the multitude of graveyard-cleansing options available, Scour provides a unique instantaneous and versatile choice for players looking to tailor their disruption precisely for the situation at hand.

Cards similar to Scour by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Scour is effective for cycling through your deck, efficiently sifting to the crucial cards you need. By removing non-essential cards from the top of your library, you gain a strategic edge, ensuring that every draw moves you closer to your win condition.

Resource Acceleration: While Scour itself does not directly accelerate resources, it indirectly contributes to resource acceleration by filtering out non-land cards from the top of your library. This increases the chances of drawing into additional mana sources, facilitating a smoother and more consistent play.

Instant Speed: The ability to Scour at instant speed adds flexibility to your gameplay, allowing you to adapt to the board state at the end of your opponent’s turn. This quality is especially beneficial when facing decks that rely heavily on bluffing or holding back key spells until the last possible moment.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Scour card necessitates that you discard a card to activate its ability. This action can put you at a disadvantage, particularly when you’re already behind and struggling to keep a decent hand size. Discarding can inadvertently give your opponent an upper hand by depleting your valuable resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Scour comes with a mana cost that requires two blue mana. This specificity can be restrictive as it demands a strong blue mana base. For players of multicolored or off-theme decks, fitting Scour into their mana curve can prove challenging and may not always align with their strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Scour’s effectiveness is diminished by its relatively high mana cost. When evaluating its utility against other removal or draw options available at a lower mana value, Scour may not be the most mana-efficient choice. With fast-paced games, the high cost can slow down your deck’s performance when quicker responses are necessary.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Scour provides players with a powerful option for deck thinning, allowing you to quickly sift through your library for key pieces. This versatility makes it a strong consideration for any deck looking to enhance its consistency.

Combo Potential: As a card that can potentially fill your graveyard, Scour unlocks numerous combo possibilities. It’s a catalyst for strategies revolving around graveyard mechanics or cards with flashback and threshold abilities.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where games are often decided by who assembles their combo first or who attains card advantage, Scour ensures you keep pace by finding the cards you need when you need them.

How to beat

Overcoming the challenge posed by the Scour MTG Card requires strategic forethought and precise counterplay. Renowned for its ruthlessness in exiling target enchantments, this spell can be a monumental obstacle when it obliterates key pieces of an opponent’s strategy. To navigate past this potent disruption, consider employing cards that offer hexproof protection to lock down your valuable enchantments or diversify your threat base to diminish the impact of a single exile effect.

Diversification is your ally; by spreading your assets across creatures, artifacts, and enchantments, you force the Scour wielder to make tough choices. Cards like Blossoming Defense grant temporary hexproof, which can be used proactively in anticipation of an attempted Scour. Alternatively, focusing on instant-speed enchantments can help you play around the timing of Scour, making it harder for your opponent to find the opportune moment to cast it efficiently.

Adaptability and astute deck construction are key. By incorporating strategies that are resilient to targeted removal, you’ll stand a better chance against Scour and similar threats, ensuring your path to victory remains clear despite the challenges ahead.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Scour MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Destiny and Betrayers of Kamigawa, 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 Scour and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Scour Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1999-06-07 and 2005-02-04. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1999-06-07	Urza's Destiny	UDS		18	1997	Normal	Black	Eric Peterson
2	2005-02-04	Betrayers of Kamigawa	BOK		20	2003	Normal	Black	Ittoku

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Scour has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-10-04	Does not exile other cards of the same name that are on the battlefield. Just from the graveyard, hand, and library.
2005-02-01	Scour can target and exile cards that aren’t always enchantments, but are enchantments when Scour is cast and resolves (such as creatures turned into enchantments by Soul Sculptor). Scour’s exile effect only looks for cards by name, not type.
2005-02-01	The copies must be found if they are in publicly viewable zones. Finding copies while searching private zones is optional.