Annex Sentry 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
Toxic 1 (Players dealt combat damage by this creature also get a poison counter.) When this creature enters, exile target artifact or creature an opponent controls with mana value 3 or less until this creature leaves the battlefield.
Complete guide
Annex Sentry is a versatile Phyrexian tool that combines defensive removal with the deadly threat of poison. As both an artifact and a creature, it fits perfectly into aggressive white strategies looking to clear the way while pressuring the opponent's life total.
Precision Removal and Toxic Pressure
Annex Sentry features two distinct abilities: Toxic 1 and a conditional enter-the-battlefield exile effect. Toxic 1 ensures that any combat damage dealt to a player results in one poison counter, regardless of the actual damage value. Its main utility, however, lies in its ability to temporarily remove an opponent's artifact or creature with a mana value of 3 or less.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When Annex Sentry enters the battlefield, its triggered ability goes on the stack, and you must choose a legal target (an artifact or creature an opponent controls with mana value 3 or less). Upon resolution, the target is exiled. This removal is tied directly to Annex Sentry's presence on the battlefield; if Annex Sentry leaves, the exiled card immediately returns to play under its owner's control as a continuous effect, without using the stack.
Common Pitfalls
One common mistake is forgetting that if Annex Sentry leaves the battlefield before its enter-the-battlefield ability resolves, the target card is never exiled at all. Additionally, Toxic does not replace damage; the opponent still loses life equal to the creature's power. Remember that Toxic only functions during combat damage dealt to players, not when dealing damage to creatures or planeswalkers.
When to Play Annex Sentry
This card is best used to remove early-game threats or utility pieces like mana rocks and low-cost creatures. Because it targets based on mana value, it is highly effective against tokens, which generally have a mana value of 0. It serves as a tempo swing that forces your opponent to use their removal on a 1/4 blocker just to get their original permanent back.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumYou cast Annex Sentry. When it enters, you target your opponent's Solemn Simulacrum (mana value 4). Wait! The ability fails because Solemn Simulacrum has a mana value greater than 3. You must instead target a legal permanent with mana value 3 or less, or the ability does nothing if no such target exists.
Roaming ThroneYou have Roaming Throne on the battlefield with 'Cleric' chosen. When Annex Sentry (a Phyrexian Cleric) enters, Roaming Throne causes its ability to trigger a second time. You may target and exile two different artifacts or creatures with mana value 3 or less. Both will remain exiled until Annex Sentry leaves the battlefield.
Poison CounterAnnex Sentry attacks and is not blocked, dealing 1 combat damage to your opponent. The opponent loses 1 life and also receives one Poison Counter. Even if you were to increase Annex Sentry's power to 5, it would still only give one Poison Counter, as Toxic 1 provides a fixed amount regardless of the damage dealt.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Annex Sentry
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A player with ten or more poison counters loses the game. This is a state-based action and doesn't use the stack. In other words, it happens immediately and players can't respond to it, just like a player losing the game due to having 0 or less life.
Card named in this ruling
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Toxic doesn't change the amount of combat damage a creature deals. For example, if a 2/2 creature with toxic 1 deals combat damage to a player, that creature will deal 2 damage. The results of that damage are the player loses 2 life and gets a poison counter.
Card named in this ruling
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Any other effects of that damage, such as life gain from lifelink, still apply.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature with toxic deals combat damage to a creature or planeswalker, or if it deals noncombat damage, toxic has no effect and no player gets poison counters.
Card named in this ruling
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Damage dealt by a creature with toxic grants the same number of counters regardless of how much damage is dealt. Notably, if a replacement effect modifies the damage in some way (such as that of Gratuitous Violence), the number of counters given remains unchanged.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Conversely, replacement effects that apply to the number of counters put on a player can modify the counters placed this way. For example, Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider's last two abilities can apply to counters placed this way.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Multiple instances of toxic are cumulative. For example, if a creature has toxic 2 and gains toxic 1 due to another effect, combat damage that creature deals to a player will cause that player to get 3 poison counters.
Card named in this ruling
Related cards and tokens
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Annex Sentry
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.