Altar of the Wretched // Wretched Bonemass is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
When this artifact enters, you may sacrifice a nontoken creature. If you do, draw X cards, then mill X cards, where X is that creature's power. Craft with one or more creatures
Complete guide
Altar of the Wretched is a versatile artifact from the Lost Caverns of Ixalan that offers both card advantage and a powerful late-game threat. By sacrificing a creature to draw and mill cards, you set up your graveyard for its 'Craft' ability to create a massive Wretched Bonemass. This dual-faced card is a masterclass in utilizing the graveyard as a resource to dominate the battlefield.
Converting Power into Knowledge
When Altar of the Wretched enters the battlefield, you have the option to sacrifice a nontoken creature. If you do, you draw cards equal to that creature's power and then mill that many cards. This effect checks the creature's power as it last existed on the battlefield. It is a powerful way to cycle through your deck while stocking your graveyard for future 'Craft' activations.
The Crafting Process
To transform the Altar into Wretched Bonemass, you must activate its Craft ability for {2}{B}{B} and exile one or more creatures from your graveyard or the battlefield. Once the ability resolves, the Altar is exiled and returns to the battlefield transformed. The resulting Wretched Bonemass gains power, toughness, and keywords based on the creatures exiled during this specific activation. If you exile a token, it will not contribute to the Bonemass's stats because it ceases to exist in exile.
A Living Mosaic of Keywords
Wretched Bonemass is only as strong as the components used to build it. Its power and toughness are dynamic; if you use a card with a characteristic-defining ability (like one that scales based on your graveyard size), the Bonemass will update its stats as that card's power changes in exile. Additionally, it gains a suite of keyword abilities—from Flying to Vigilance—if at least one exiled card possesses them.
Common Mistakes
Players often forget that the sacrifice trigger is 'may'; you aren't forced to lose a creature if the board state isn't right. Another common error is trying to craft using tokens to gain keywords; while you can exile a token to pay the craft cost, the token disappears from exile immediately, meaning Wretched Bonemass will not gain any stats or keywords from it. Finally, remember that if the Altar is destroyed, you can pay {2}{B} to return it from your graveyard to your hand.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumYou cast Altar of the Wretched while you control Solemn Simulacrum. When the Altar enters, you sacrifice the Simulacrum. The Altar's trigger sees the Simulacrum's 2 power, so you draw two cards and mill two cards. Simultaneously, the Simulacrum's own death trigger goes on the stack, allowing you to draw an additional card for a total of three new cards in hand.
Roaming ThroneYou activate the Craft ability of Altar of the Wretched, exiling Roaming Throne from your graveyard. When Wretched Bonemass enters, its power and toughness will be 4/4 (the stats of the Throne). Note that while the Bonemass gains keywords like Flying or Deathtouch from exiled cards, it does NOT gain Ward {2} from Roaming Throne, as Ward is not in the specific list of keywords the Bonemass checks for.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Altar of the Wretched // Wretched Bonemass
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If any of the exiled cards has a characteristic-defining ability that defines its power and/or toughness, that ability will apply. For example, if you used Souls of the Lost to craft Wretched Bonemass, its power and toughness while in exile are determined by the number of permanent cards in your graveyard, and Wretched Bonemass's power and toughness will change as the number of permanent cards in your graveyard changes. If the characteristic-defining ability can't be applied, then use 0.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The back faces of some cards with craft refer to cards "used to craft" it. This refers to the cards exiled as part of the cost of the craft ability of the front face. Those cards are considered to be "used to craft" that permanent as long as they remain exiled and the permanent remains on the battlefield, even if the permanent's controller changes or some of its characteristics change (because of a copy effect, for example.)
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If the materials required include multiple objects, you may exile some of them from among permanents you control and the rest from among cards in your graveyard. You don't have to choose all permanents or all cards from your graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
You may exile tokens you control as part of the materials required. However, because they aren't cards and won't stay in exile, any abilities that refer to what you "used to craft" the back faces won't refer to anything.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If a card that isn't a transforming double-faced card becomes a copy of a card with craft, it'll stay in exile if you activate the craft ability. It won't return to the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Altar of the Wretched // Wretched Bonemass
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