Dinrova Horror 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 creature enters, return target permanent to its owner's hand, then that player discards a card.
Complete guide
Dinrova Horror is a powerful tool for controlling the battlefield and disrupting your opponent's hand simultaneously. This Dimir creature provides a significant swing in tempo by removing a threat and forcing a discard in one single trigger. Understanding the timing of this ability is key to maximizing its efficiency during a match.
What It Does
When Dinrova Horror enters the battlefield, its triggered ability targets any permanent. It first bounces that permanent to its owner's hand and immediately forces that same player to discard a card. This is particularly effective because if the player had an empty hand, they are forced to discard the very card you just returned to them.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, the ability is put on the stack and you choose a target permanent. Second, if the target is still legal upon resolution, it is moved to its owner's hand. Third, that player chooses a card from their hand and puts it into their graveyard. Players cannot cast the returned card or any other spells between the bounce and the discard because the ability is still in the middle of resolving.
Common Pitfalls
A crucial rule to remember is that if the target permanent becomes illegal (for example, it gains Hexproof or is sacrificed in response), the entire ability fails to resolve. In this case, the player will not be forced to discard a card. Additionally, while you can target a token, tokens are not cards; a bounced token will simply cease to exist after the ability finishes, and the player will still have to discard a card from their actual hand if they have one.
When to Play It
Dinrova Horror is best played when your opponent has few cards in hand, as it guarantees they lose the permanent you target permanently. It also serves as a great way to reset powerful 'enters-the-battlefield' effects for yourself, or to strip away a problematic non-land permanent that your colors otherwise struggle to destroy.
Interaction examples
Gray Merchant of AsphodelIf your opponent has zero cards in hand and controls Gray Merchant of Asphodel, you can cast Dinrova Horror targeting the Merchant. The Merchant returns to their hand, and then, during the same resolution, they must discard a card. Since the Merchant is the only card in their hand, they are forced to discard it immediately, effectively turning your bounce spell into a kill spell.
Syr Konrad, the GrimWith Syr Konrad, the Grim on the battlefield, Dinrova Horror becomes even deadlier. If you target an opponent's creature and they are forced to discard a creature card (either the one you bounced or another one), Syr Konrad's ability will trigger. This results in the opponent losing a permanent, losing a card from hand, and taking damage from the discard simultaneously.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Dinrova Horror
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If the target permanent is an illegal target when Dinrova Horror’s ability tries to resolve, the ability won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. No player will discard a card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a player has no cards in their hand and Dinrova Horror returns a card to that player’s hand, the player must discard that card. They won’t have the opportunity to cast that card (or do anything else with it) before discarding it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
A token permanent returned to a player’s hand isn’t a card and can’t be discarded. It will cease to exist when state-based actions are performed after the ability finishes resolving.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Dinrova Horror
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.