Delney, Streetwise Lookout 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
Creatures you control with power 2 or less can't be blocked by creatures with power 3 or greater. If a triggered ability of a creature you control with power 2 or less triggers, that ability triggers an additional time.
Complete guide
Delney, Streetwise Lookout is a legendary powerhouse for decks that rely on small, tactical creatures. This Human Scout provides both evasion and massive value by doubling up on every triggered ability your low-power creatures possess.
Small Creatures, Big Impact
Delney, Streetwise Lookout has two primary functions. First, it acts as an evasion engine, ensuring your creatures with power 2 or less cannot be blocked by creatures with power 3 or greater. Second, it serves as a multiplier for triggered abilities. If a creature you control with power 2 or less triggers an ability (look for the words 'when,' 'whenever,' or 'at'), that ability triggers a second time. This works for enters-the-battlefield effects, death triggers, and attack triggers alike.
How It Resolves Step by Step
When a condition is met for a small creature's ability, Delney causes a second instance of that ability to be placed on the stack. You choose targets and modes for each instance separately as you put them on the stack. Note that Delney checks the creature's power at the moment the trigger condition is met. If the creature's power is 2 or less then, you get the bonus. Changing the power later—such as in response to the trigger—will not add or remove the extra instance of the ability.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A common misconception is that Delney affects replacement effects. Abilities that use the word 'as' (like 'as this creature enters') are not triggered abilities and do not double. Additionally, the evasion only matters during the declare blockers step. If a creature is already blocked, reducing its power to 2 or increasing the blocker's power to 3 will not suddenly make it unblocked. Finally, remember that Delney does not copy the ability; it causes the source to trigger again, so 'whenever you cast' triggers from non-creature sources do not benefit from this.
When to Play Delney
Delney is best played in aggressive or mid-range white decks that utilize 'toolbox' creatures with powerful utility effects. Because Delney is legendary, having multiples on the field requires a work-around, but if you do manage to control two, your 2-power creatures will trigger three times. It is particularly potent with creatures that have 'dies' triggers, as they are often still 2-power creatures at the moment they leave the battlefield.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumWhen Solemn Simulacrum enters the battlefield, Delney checks its power. Since it is a 2/2, the search ability triggers twice. You can find two basic lands and put them onto the battlefield tapped. Later, if Solemn Simulacrum dies, its death trigger also qualifies. Delney ensures you draw two cards instead of one, providing immense card advantage.
Roaming ThroneIf Roaming Throne enters and you choose 'Human', it becomes a Human Golem. Because it is a 4/4, Delney does not double its triggers. However, Delney is a 2/2 Human. When Delney's ability triggers (if it had a triggered ability), Roaming Throne would double it. If you have another 1/1 Human with an ETB trigger, both Delney and Roaming Throne will see it. The 1/1 will trigger its original time, plus once for Delney, plus once for the Throne, resulting in three total instances of the ability.
If you attack with Delney (a 2/2) while your opponent controls a 3/3 Golem, the opponent cannot declare the Golem as a blocker for Delney. If they try to use a 1/1 to block Delney and then cast a spell to give that 1/1 +2/+2 after blocks are declared, Delney remains blocked despite the blocker now having 3 power.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Delney, Streetwise Lookout
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Once a creature you control has become blocked, reducing its power to 2 or less and/or increasing the power of the creature blocking it to 3 or greater won't cause it to become unblocked.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Triggered abilities use the word "when," "whenever," or "at." They're often written as "[Trigger condition], [effect]." Some keyword abilities are triggered abilities and will have "when," "whenever," or "at the beginning of" in their reminder text.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Replacement effects are unaffected by Delney, Streetwise Lookout's last ability. For example, a 1/1 creature that enters the battlefield under your control with one +1/+1 counter on it won't receive an additional +1/+1 counter.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Abilities that apply "as [this creature] enters the battlefield" or "as [this creature] is turned face up" are also unaffected.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Delney, Streetwise Lookout's last ability doesn't copy the triggered ability; it just causes the ability to trigger an additional time. Any choices made as you put the ability onto the stack, such as modes and targets, are made separately for each instance of the ability. Any choices made on resolution, such as whether to put counters on a permanent, are also made individually.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If you somehow control two Delney, Streetwise Lookouts, abilities of creatures you control with power 2 or less trigger three times. A third Delney causes such abilities to trigger four times, a fourth causes such abilities to trigger five times, and so on.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If a triggered ability is linked to a second ability, additional instances of that triggered ability are also linked to that second ability. If the second ability refers to "the exiled card," it refers to all cards exiled by instances of the triggered ability.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
In some cases involving linked abilities, an ability requires information about "the exiled card." When this happens, the ability gets multiple answers. If these answers are being used to determine the value of a variable, the sum is used. For example, if Elite Arcanist's enters-the-battlefield ability triggers twice, two cards are exiled. The value of X in the activation cost of Elite Arcanist's other ability is the sum of the two cards' mana values. As the ability resolves, you create copies of both cards and can cast none, one, or both of the copies in any order.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
Abilities that apply "when [this creature] is turned face up" will trigger an additional time only if that creature's power is 2 or less once it has been turned face up.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
Once an ability of a creature you control has triggered, reducing its power to 2 or less won't cause that ability to trigger an additional time. Similarly, once an ability of a creature you control with power 2 or less has triggered an additional time due to Delney, Streetwise Lookout's last ability, increasing its power to 3 or greater won't remove that additional triggered ability from the stack.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Bloom Tender + Delney, Streetwise Lookout
- 1Activate Bloom Tender by tapping it, adding at least
. - 2Activate Derevi by paying
, putting it onto the battlefield from the command zone. - 3Put Derevi into your graveyard due to the legend rule, and then choose to return Derevi to the command zone.
- 4Derevi's enters-the-battlefield ability triggers twice due to Delney.
- 5Resolve the first trigger, untapping Bloom Tender.
- 6Holding priority, activate Bloom Tender by tapping it, adding at least .
- 7Resolve the second Derevi trigger, untapping Bloom Tender.
- 8Repeat.
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Faeburrow Elder + Delney, Streetwise Lookout
- 1Activate Faeburrow Elder by tapping it, adding at least .
- 2Activate Derevi by paying , putting it onto the battlefield from the command zone.
- 3Put Derevi into your graveyard due to the legend rule, and then choose to return Derevi to the command zone.
- 4Derevi's enters-the-battlefield ability triggers twice due to Delney.
- 5Resolve the first trigger, untapping Faeburrow Elder.
- 6Holding priority, activate Faeburrow Elder by tapping it, adding at least .
- 7Resolve the second Derevi trigger, untapping Faeburrow Elder.
- 8Repeat.
Peregrine Drake + Venser, Shaper Savant + Delney, Streetwise Lookout
- 1Activate up to five lands by tapping them, adding at least
. - 2Cast Peregrine Drake by paying
. - 3When Peregrine Drake enters, it triggers twice. Resolve the first trigger, untapping five lands.
- 4Holding priority, activate up to five lands by tapping them, adding at least .
- 5Resolve the second Peregrine Drake trigger, untapping five lands.
- 6Cast Venser by paying
. - 7When Venser enters, it triggers twice, returning it and Peregrine Drake from the battlefield to your hand.
- 8Repeat.
Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Viscera Seer + Delney, Streetwise Lookout
- 1Activate Viscera Seer by sacrificing Reassembling Skeleton.
- 2When Reassembling Skeleton dies, Pitiless Plunderer triggers twice, creating two Treasure tokens.
- 3Resolve the Viscera Seer ability.
- 4Activate the Treasure tokens by tapping and sacrificing them, adding
. - 5Activate Reassembling Skeleton by paying , returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
- 6Repeat.
Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Carrion Feeder + Delney, Streetwise Lookout
- 1Activate Carrion Feeder by sacrificing Reassembling Skeleton.
- 2When Reassembling Skeleton dies, Pitiless Plunderer triggers twice, creating two Treasure tokens.
- 3Resolve the Carrion Feeder ability.
- 4Activate the Treasure tokens by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
- 5Activate Reassembling Skeleton by paying , returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
- 6Repeat.
Cloud of Faeries + Shrieking Drake + Delney, Streetwise Lookout
- 1Activate up to two lands by tapping them, adding at least .
- 2Cast Cloud of Faeries by paying .
- 3When Cloud of Faeries enters the battlefield, it triggers twice.
- 4Resolve the first trigger, untapping up to two lands.
- 5Holding priority, activate up to two lands by tapping them, adding at least .
- 6Resolve the second Cloud of Faeries trigger, untapping up to two lands.
- 7Cast Shrieking Drake by paying .
- 8When Shrieking Drake enters the battlefield, it triggers twice, returning it and Cloud of Faeries from the battlefield to your hand.
Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Bartolomé del Presidio + Delney, Streetwise Lookout
- 1Activate Bartolomé del Presidio by sacrificing Reassembling Skeleton.
- 2When Reassembling Skeleton dies, Pitiless Plunderer triggers twice, creating two Treasure tokens.
- 3Resolve the Bartolomé del Presidio ability.
- 4Activate the Treasure tokens by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
- 5Activate Reassembling Skeleton by paying , returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
- 6Repeat.
Peregrine Drake + Shrieking Drake + Delney, Streetwise Lookout
- 1Activate up to five lands by tapping them, adding at least .
- 2Cast Peregrine Drake by paying its mana cost.
- 3When Peregrine Drake enters, it triggers twice. Resolve the first trigger, untapping five lands.
- 4Holding priority, activate up to five lands by tapping them, adding at least .
- 5Resolve the second Peregrine Drake trigger, untapping five lands.
- 6Cast Shrieking Drake by paying its mana cost.
- 7When Shrieking Drake enters, it triggers twice, returning it and Peregrine Drake from the battlefield to your hand.
- 8Repeat.
Legal formats
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