Containment Priest 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
Flash If a nontoken creature would enter and it wasn't cast, exile it instead.
Complete guide
Containment Priest is a versatile Human Cleric that acts as a powerful gatekeeper against unconventional strategies. With Flash and a disruptive replacement effect, it ensures that your opponents must play fair by casting their creatures rather than cheating them onto the battlefield.
What It Does
Containment Priest features a replacement effect that exiles any nontoken creature attempting to enter the battlefield if it wasn't cast. Because it has Flash, you can respond to spells or abilities that put creatures directly into play, effectively countering those effects by removing the creature before it ever touches the table.
How It Resolves Step by Step
When a spell or ability attempts to put a nontoken creature onto the battlefield, the game checks if that creature was cast. If the creature was not cast (for example, it is being moved from the graveyard, library, or hand directly to the battlefield), Containment Priest's ability replaces the 'enter the battlefield' event with 'exile this card.' This happens immediately, so no 'enters the battlefield' triggers will occur for the exiled creature.
Common Mistakes
A common misconception is that Containment Priest affects tokens; however, its text specifically applies only to nontoken creatures. Additionally, it only exiles cards that are entering as creatures. If a card like Heliod, Sun-Crowned is entering but your devotion is too low for it to be a creature, it will not be exiled. Finally, remember that if Containment Priest enters at the exact same time as other creatures, it does not see them entering and will not exile them.
When to Play It
The best time to cast Containment Priest is in response to a 'reanimate' spell, a 'blink' effect, or an ability like Aether Vial. By casting it with Flash, you surprise your opponent, turning their resource-intensive play into a permanent loss of their creature.
Interaction examples
Esper SentinelIf you cast Esper Sentinel from your hand, Containment Priest has no effect. Even if you use an effect that allows you to cast Esper Sentinel from your graveyard, Containment Priest will not exile it because the card was still 'cast,' regardless of the zone it originated from.
Ornithopter of ParadiseIf you play Ornithopter of Paradise by paying its mana cost, it enters normally. However, if an opponent uses an effect to put Ornithopter of Paradise from their library onto the battlefield without casting it, Containment Priest will intervene and exile the Thopter instead.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Containment Priest
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Containment Priest's last ability won't affect any creatures that were cast, including ones cast from unusual zones such as your graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a noncreature card wasn't cast and is entering the battlefield as a creature (due to an effect such as that of March of the Machines), it will be exiled. Conversely, if a creature card wasn't cast and is entering the battlefield as a noncreature permanent (for example, Heliod, Sun-Crowned with insufficient devotion), it won't be exiled.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If Containment Priest enters the battlefield without being cast, its ability won't exile itself.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If Containment Priest enters the battlefield at the same time as other creatures, its ability won't affect those creatures.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Mirror of Life Trapping + Containment Priest
- 1Whenever a nontoken creature enters that was cast, Mirror of Life Trapping triggers, exiling that creature.
- 2Whenever a nontoken creature enters that wasn't cast, it is instead exiled due to Containment Priest. This also applies to any creatures that would be put onto the battlefield by Mirror of Life Trapping.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Containment Priest
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.