Benthic Anomaly 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
Devoid (This card has no color.) When you cast this spell, for each opponent, choose a creature that player controls. Create a token that's a copy of one of those creatures, except its power is equal to the total power of those creatures, its toughness is equal to the total toughness of those creatures, and it's a colorless Eldrazi creature.
Complete guide
Benthic Anomaly is a massive Eldrazi Serpent that doesn't just enter the battlefield; it brings a terrifying, amalgamated reflection of your enemies' forces with it. By utilizing its cast trigger, you create a singular, colorless monstrosity that combines the physical stats of your opponents' best creatures.
The Power of Devoid
Even though Benthic Anomaly costs blue mana to cast, the Devoid keyword means it is a colorless card in all zones, including the stack and the graveyard. This bypasses color-based protections and interactions, though its color identity for Commander remains blue. When you cast it, its triggered ability goes on the stack on top of the creature spell itself.
Building the Amalgam
As the cast trigger resolves, you choose one creature for each opponent. You then create a single token that is a copy of one of those chosen creatures. However, this token receives three major modifications: its power becomes the sum of all chosen creatures' power, its toughness becomes the sum of all chosen creatures' toughness, and it loses all previous colors and types to become a colorless Eldrazi creature.
Copying Mechanics and ETB
The token copies the 'printed' values of the chosen creature, not including temporary buffs or counters. If the chosen creature is a Consecrated Sphinx, your token will have Flying and the card-drawing ability. Because it enters the battlefield as a copy, any 'enters-the-battlefield' abilities of the copied card will trigger normally once the token lands.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake is thinking you get one token per opponent. You only get one token total, regardless of how many opponents you have; that single token simply uses the combined stats of all selected targets. Also, remember that because this is a 'cast' trigger, the token is created even if Benthic Anomaly is countered by a spell like Hullbreaker Horror.
Interaction examples
Consecrated Sphinx
Hullbreaker HorrorIn a three-player game, you cast Benthic Anomaly. For Opponent A, you choose Consecrated Sphinx (4/6). For Opponent B, you choose Hullbreaker Horror (7/8). You choose to have the token be a copy of Consecrated Sphinx. The resulting token is a colorless Eldrazi with Flying and the draw ability, but its power is 11 (4+7) and its toughness is 14 (6+8).
You cast Benthic Anomaly. The cast trigger goes on the stack. An opponent responds by casting Hullbreaker Horror and uses its ability to return Benthic Anomaly to your hand. Even though the Serpent is gone, the cast trigger remains on the stack and will resolve, still granting you the combined Eldrazi token based on your opponents' creatures.
CopyIf you choose an opponent's token (like a 2/2 Bird) as the base for your copy, your Eldrazi token will copy the characteristics of that token as defined by the effect that created it. If that was the only creature chosen, your token would be a 2/2 colorless Eldrazi.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Benthic Anomaly
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Benthic Anomaly's triggered ability will resolve before Benthic Anomaly does. If Benthic Anomaly is countered or otherwise leaves the stack in response to that triggered ability, the triggered ability will still resolve as normal.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The token copies exactly what was printed on the original card and nothing else, with the listed exceptions (unless that creature is itself copying something else; see below). It doesn't copy whether that creature is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, and so on.
Card named in this ruling
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If the copied creature is copying something else, then the token enters the battlefield as whatever that creature copied, with the listed exceptions.
Card named in this ruling
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If the copied creature has
in its mana cost, X is 0.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If the copied creature is itself a token, the token created by Benthic Anomaly's ability copies the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that created it, with the listed exception.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
The token is an Eldrazi creature instead of its other types and subtypes and is colorless instead of retaining any of its colors. It retains any supertypes it had, such as legendary or snow. These are copiable values of the token that other effects may copy.
Card named in this ruling
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature will trigger when the token enters the battlefield. Any "as [this creature] enters the battlefield" or "[this creature] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the creature will also work.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
A card with devoid is just colorless. It's not colorless and the colors of mana in its mana cost.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
Other cards and abilities can give a card with devoid a color. If that happens, it's just the new color, not that color and colorless.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
Devoid works in all zones, not just on the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
If a card loses devoid, it will still be colorless. This is because effects that change an object's color (like the one created by devoid) are considered before the object loses devoid.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
Devoid doesn't affect the color identity of the card for the purposes of the Commander variant. For example, while Abstruse Appropriation is colorless because it has devoid, its color identity is still white and black, and it can't be included in a Commander deck where the commander's color identity doesn't include both white and black.
No other card is named in this ruling.
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Meta decks with Benthic Anomaly
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