<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diviner of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Diviner of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/justynadura.art/?hl=en">Justyna Dura</a></em></p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Denzilore Fatehold" href="#" target="_blank">Denzilore Fatehold</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the biggest commanders from <em>Reality Fracture</em>, but personally, I think it's boring. All it does is buff our creatures for scrying. It's the most linear game plan, and it barely has anything to do with scrying anyway. Surely there are some better commanders and cards for this archetype, right? Yup, there absolutely are. Let's check them out!</p>
<h2>Arwen Undómiel</h2>
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<p>Okay for two mana, making a +1/+1 counter on every scry has to be pretty good, right? I've never seen this card in action before, or any scry deck for that matter, so I'm having a bit of trouble judging how often these things will trigger.</p>
<p>Looking at Arwen's EDHREC page I'm seeing a lot of cards that scry once per turn, whether it's on our upkeep, when we attack, or whenever we tap them. I think on average we can easily get three to four scries per turn, and that means +4/+4 every single turn with Arwen. For a two-mana card, that's amazing.</p>
<p>However, I think she makes a pretty mediocre commander, demanding a focus on scrying while the payoff is a random buff. Definitely better in the 99.</p>
<p>Tier: B</p>
<h2>Denzilore Fatehold</h2>
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<p>The source of inspiration for this article, Denzilore wants to be <em>the</em> scrying commander.</p>
<p>A +1/+1 counter on each creature we control is extremely strong and will get out of hand fast, but like with Arwen, I just don't see what +1/+1 counters have to do with scrying. A scry deck wants to win with card advantage, churning through cards to find the answers to everything until it subtly takes over the game.</p>
<p>Denzilore will win the game, there's no doubt about that, but it'll do it in a way that involves minimal scrying, and I find that disappointing. Even more out of place is the fact that Denzilore also cares about surveilling, yet doesn't have black in its color identity. Why even tack that on when surveil is such a Dimir mechanic? This commander seems terribly disjointed to me.</p>
<p>Tier: B</p>
<h2>Diviner of Victory</h2>
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<p>We previously established that scry decks can easily get three or four scries a turn, making this one-mana creature into a 4/4.</p>
<p>That's a great rate, especially when <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diviner of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Diviner of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comes with a decent bounce spell. But once again, no matter how good a one-mana 4/4 is, these decks just don't need a random attacker. They need cards that scry and cards that take advantage of that scrying. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diviner of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Diviner of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't even have evasion, so good luck getting in with it every turn. It does a lot, but it's not enough here.</p>
<p>Tier: B</p>
<h2>Eligeth, Crossroads Augur</h2>
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<p>Eligeth almost escaped my <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=oracle%3A%22whenever+you+scry%22&amp;unique=cards&amp;as=grid&amp;order=name">Scryfall query</a> thanks to its funky wording, but I caught it, and it's a good thing I did because wow, that's a strong ability.</p>
<p>Yes, I would like to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestral Recall" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestral Recall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Preordain" href="#" target="_blank">Preordain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>). This commander has always been insanely powerful, but it fell out of favor for a number of reasons, I think. First, it doesn't interact well with other cards that care about scrying. Because its ability is a replacement effect, scrying no longer triggers <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diviner of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Diviner of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and that's no fun if we want to play a themed deck. Second, all the Sphinx does is draw cards.</p>
<p>Like that's literally the whole deck, just drawing cards that draw more cards. If that's your playstyle, cool, but for most people drawing cards is a means to an end, not the entire game, so Eligeth ends up being quite boring.</p>
<p>Tier: B</p>
<h2>Elminster</h2>
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<p>Oh thank goodness, I was getting really tired of talking about cards with an unrelated payoff.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elminster" href="#" target="_blank">Elminster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is clearly the perfect scry commander, to the point that I wonder why Wizards even printed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Denzilore Fatehold" href="#" target="_blank">Denzilore Fatehold</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Reducing the cost of instants and sorceries is exactly the thing that scry decks want, making it easier to cast even more spells that scry. Elminster's free scry is fantastic as well and guarantees the deck will always be rolling, if not snowballing.</p>
<p>Then, he protects himself with those Birds, who are easy to make thanks to all the scrying we'll have been doing. I love the subtle big mana theme as well, nudging us out of the territory of playing Storm. All around, Elminster is a fantastic commander who does exactly what this archetype wants, plus some.</p>
<p>Tier: S</p>
<h2>Elrond, Master of Healing</h2>
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<p>Oh man, not the +1/+1 counters again. I might have to reevaluate these cards again if scrying and counters turn out to be more related than I thought, but I still think they lack synergy.</p>
<p>Elrond does it slightly better than Arwen, potentially distributing many more counters. But I think if we're scrying with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigiled Starfish" href="#" target="_blank">Sigiled Starfish</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it's just gonna be one counter most of the time, and then Elrond is twice as expensive as Arwen. The conditional card draw when an opponent targets our creatures is nice, but not a lot, and I really don't think it makes enough of a difference.</p>
<p>Tier: B</p>
<h2>Elvish Mariner</h2>
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<p>This is another very interesting payoff for scrying, a way to slow our opponents down, remove blockers, or even dodge counterspells.</p>
<p>Even if it's just triggering on our turn we can do a good bit with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Mariner" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Mariner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but it gets really exciting when we use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sonic Screwdriver" href="#" target="_blank">Sonic Screwdriver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to trigger the Elf at instant speed, tapping down our opponent's attackers. For three mana this feels like an auto-include in most scry decks, especially since it can potentially be a scry engine itself.</p>
<p>Tier: A</p>
<h2>Flamespeaker Adept</h2>
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<p>I really didn't expect to see a red card while writing this article, but I guess the theme of scrying was so omnipresent in Theros that every color slice got a bit of it.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flamespeaker Adept" href="#" target="_blank">Flamespeaker Adept</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is alright, a fairly intimidating attacker with some setup, but whether it's good or not hardly matters because it's never gonna have a home. Maybe someday there will be an Izzet scry commander, but frankly I doubt it, so Flamespeaker Adept is on its own.</p>
<p>Tier: C</p>
<h2>Galadriel of Lothlórien</h2>
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<p>Now the <em>Tales of Middle-earth</em> Elves are getting serious. Getting a land even 50% of the time that we scry is some serious ramp, and it should be fairly consistent, since we can tuck away any card that isn't a land with the peek.</p>
<p>Given that this deck will be scrying multiple times a turn, we can expect to flood the board with lands very quickly, and that gives us so much more space to do our favorite thing, more scrying. I mostly envision this deck as a card advantage/control deck, constantly drawing and ramping until it's got a lock on the board. Galadriel is definitely the strongest of the Simic commanders that we've seen.</p>
<p>Tier: A</p>
<h2>Legolas, Counter of Kills</h2>
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<p>"Do this only once per turn." But why? I really think that line makes a very interesting commander into an incredibly dull one.</p>
<p>We could've had one-of-a-kind value engines with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradise Mantle" href="#" target="_blank">Paradise Mantle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Viridian Longbow" href="#" target="_blank">Viridian Longbow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (which would be very thematic), but instead we got bad vigilance. Was Wizards concerned about infinite combos? Extra mana with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cryptolith Rite" href="#" target="_blank">Cryptolith Rite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? I have no idea. Unfortunately, Legolas is basically unplayable as is, and it sucks that we can visibly see the potential he had.</p>
<p>Tier: D</p>
<h2>Lost Isle Calling</h2>
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<p>Oh man, this card is so cool and I want to like it so badly, but I have to acknowledge that it does literally nothing when we play it.</p>
<p>Only a few turns later are we gonna be able to activate it, and that's multiple turns for our opponents to blow it up. Normally I wouldn't use the "dies to removal" argument, but this card is clearly broadcasting the threat of an extra turn and a full hand. It will 100% get removed. However, it's worth noting that if it gets destroyed, it's only a two-mana loss. If we manage to activate it, we're gonna get that juicy reward, and it's gonna feel so good.</p>
<p>I don't think this card is amazing, and I think the chances of activating it are low, but it is only a two-mana investment with a high payout, so surprisingly, I think it's kinda worth it!</p>
<p>Tier: B</p>
<h2>Matoya, Archon Elder</h2>
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<p>Matoya is basically <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eligeth, Crossroads Augur" href="#" target="_blank">Eligeth, Crossroads Augur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> but half as expensive. She's far from half as good though.</p>
<p>Yeah, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Preordain" href="#" target="_blank">Preordain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only draws two cards instead of three, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Opt" href="#" target="_blank">Opt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> draws the same amount <em>and</em> lets us scry, which is actually better. Clearly Wizards learned their lesson from Eligeth too, because Matoya doesn't replace the scry, making her a fantastic addition to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elminster" href="#" target="_blank">Elminster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Denzilore Fatehold" href="#" target="_blank">Denzilore Fatehold</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> decks. She's a strong value engine, not super interesting as a commander, but still a must-have in the 99.</p>
<p>Tier: A</p>
<h2>Planetarium of Wan Shi Tong</h2>
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<p>Wait I recognize this place! I've literally only seen one episode of <em>Avatar</em> and it was the one that took place in here.</p>
<p>It's a sick <em>Magic</em> card too, letting us cast a free spell the first time we scry each turn. That's a crazy amount of value, especially in an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elminster" href="#" target="_blank">Elminster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck that's built around big spells. The card even does great on its own, enabling itself for only one more mana. It's a very strong artifact with just a little bit of build-around, and a clear include in any scry deck.</p>
<p>Tier: A</p>
<h2>Saheeli, Consul of Oversight</h2>
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<p><a href="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Untitled-presentation-e1791570486459.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-194758" src="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Untitled-presentation-e1791570486459.jpg" alt="" width="540" height="586" srcset="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Untitled-presentation-e1791570486459.jpg 540w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Untitled-presentation-e1791570486459-276x300.jpg 276w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px" /></a></p>
<p>Dude why? Saheeli is so bad when she only triggers once a turn. If she was three mana I'd understand, but this card is a whole five mana and it only makes one Thopter on our turn. Maybe we can get those numbers up by triggering her on opponents' turns, but in no world is it worth paying five mana for this conditional effect. It's such a lame iteration of a really cool character.</p>
<p>Tier: D</p>
<p><a href="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot-381.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-194761" src="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot-381.png" alt="" width="1772" height="1309" srcset="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot-381.png 1772w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot-381-300x222.png 300w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot-381-1024x756.png 1024w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot-381-768x567.png 768w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot-381-1536x1135.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1772px) 100vw, 1772px" /></a></p>
<p>Dang, that's a lot of Bs, I guess I was pretty negative on these cards. It seems my conclusion is that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elminster" href="#" target="_blank">Elminster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the only scry commander that I would ever play, but that's fine because he's a great choice! The rest of the cards on this list are really just synergy pieces for him, if you ask me. I can live with that, but if you can't, let me know what scry deck you'd play!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


best scry

Ranking Every Card That Cares About When You Scry