Silver Scrutiny
Sorcery
You may cast this spell as though it had flash if X is 3 or less.
Draw X cards.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Magic Online Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #9050
Silver Scrutiny can draw you a fistful of cards for as little as one mana if your life total is high enough — that ceiling is real and the floor is punishing. Will, Scion of Peace, who actively pads your life total to reduce spell costs, is the natural home; everywhere else, you need a dedicated lifegain engine or this is just a worse Brainstorm.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Will, Scion of Peace
Will, Scion of Peace reduces spell costs by the life you've gained, which directly makes Silver Scrutiny cheaper to cast and bigger on resolution — the two cards are a self-reinforcing loop where every point of life gained both discounts the spell and inflates the draw count.
Alandra, Sky Dreamer
Alandra, Sky Dreamer rewards casting multiple instant and sorcery spells in a turn with 2/2 Drake tokens, and Silver Scrutiny's ability to draw four or more cards in a single shot feeds that trigger reliably while also digging toward the next spell in the chain.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Silver Scrutiny actually belongs — the format's slower pace gives you time to build a life total worth cashing in, and drawing six-plus cards off a single spell is the kind of card advantage that wins games. In Modern and Pioneer, the card is legal but the competition for blue draw spells is brutal; without a dedicated lifegain shell, the average case draws two or three cards for too much mana when Opt and Consider exist. Legacy and Vintage don't want it at all — those formats move too fast for a sorcery-speed draw spell with a variable and often-disappointing floor. Oathbreaker is the one non-Commander 60-card format where it can shine, specifically in a high-life-total shell built around a planeswalker like Ajani or Atraxa.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Silver Scrutiny isn't available at the moment — check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the current market rate. Given its narrow best-case home and niche synergy requirements, it's unlikely to command a premium outside of a direct reprint spike in a Will, Scion of Peace precon or similar product.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.