Into the Flood Maw 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
Gift a tapped Fish (You may promise an opponent a gift as you cast this spell. If you do, they create a tapped 1/1 blue Fish creature token before its other effects.) Return target creature an opponent controls to its owner's hand. If the gift was promised, instead return target nonland permanent an opponent controls to its owner's hand.
Complete guide
Into the Flood Maw is a versatile blue instant from the Bloomburrow set that introduces the 'Gift' mechanic. It offers players a choice: cast a cheap bounce spell for a creature, or 'gift' an opponent a Fish token to bounce any nonland permanent instead. Understanding how this timing works is crucial for maintaining tempo in your games.
What It Does
Into the Flood Maw is a bounce spell with an optional additional cost called a Gift. When you cast it, you decide whether to promise a gift to an opponent. If you don't promise the gift, the spell targets and returns a creature an opponent controls to its owner's hand. If you do promise the gift, the spell's potential expands, allowing you to target any nonland permanent an opponent controls.
How It Resolves Step by Step
The resolution follows a specific sequence. First, you choose your target and decide if you are promising the gift as you cast the spell. If the spell resolves, the chosen opponent creates a 1/1 blue Fish creature token that enters the battlefield tapped. This happens first. Immediately after the Fish is created, the spell's primary effect takes place: the targeted nonland permanent is returned to its owner's hand. If the spell is countered, the opponent never receives the Fish.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is assuming you can bounce the Fish token you just gave your opponent. You must choose the target for Into the Flood Maw as you cast it, but the Fish token isn't created until the spell resolves. Therefore, the Fish is not a legal target for the spell that created it. Additionally, if you promise the gift but the target becomes illegal (for example, it gains Hexproof), the spell fails to resolve and the opponent does not get the Fish.
When to Play It
This card is an excellent tempo tool. For just one blue mana, you can reset a dangerous creature. However, the 'Gift' mode is best used when you need to remove a non-creature threat like a Planeswalker, Enchantment, or Artifact that is preventing you from winning. Giving the opponent a 1/1 tapped Fish is often a small price to pay to remove a high-value permanent from the board.
Interaction examples
FishYou cast Into the Flood Maw promising a gift. You target an opponent's enchantment. As the spell resolves, your opponent first creates a 1/1 blue Fish token tapped. Then, their enchantment is returned to their hand. You cannot target this new Fish with the same Into the Flood Maw that created it.
CounterspellYou cast Into the Flood Maw and promise the gift to your opponent. In response, your opponent casts Counterspell targeting your spell. Into the Flood Maw is moved to the graveyard and never resolves. Because it didn't resolve, your opponent does not create a Fish token.
An Offer You Can't RefuseIf you cast Into the Flood Maw promising a gift and your opponent uses An Offer You Can't Refuse to counter it, the gift is not given. Instead, the spell is countered, and you (the caster of the original spell) receive two Treasure tokens while your opponent gets nothing.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Into the Flood Maw
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
As an additional cost to cast a spell with gift, you can promise the listed gift to an opponent. That opponent is chosen as part of that additional cost. The gift isn’t given at this time; rather, it’s given at a later time based on whether or not the spell is a permanent spell.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
For permanent spells with gift, an ability triggers when that permanent enters if the gift was promised. When that ability resolves, the gift is given to the appropriate opponent.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
For instants and sorceries with gift, the gift is given to the appropriate opponent as part of the resolution of the spell. This happens before any of the spell’s other effects would take place.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell for which the gift was promised is countered, doesn’t resolve (perhaps because all of its targets are illegal), or is otherwise removed from the stack, the gift won’t be given. None of its other effects will happen either.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
You can’t pay a gift cost more than once.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If you copy a spell for which the gift was promised, the gift was also promised to the same opponent for the copy. If a card or token enters as a copy of a permanent that’s already on the battlefield, the gift isn’t promised for that new permanent, even if it was promised for the original.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Some instant or sorcery spells require alternative or additional targets if the gift was promised. You ignore these targeting requirements if the gifts aren’t promised for those spells. On the other hand, you can promise a gift for a permanent spell even if you won’t be able to choose targets for an enters ability of that permanent once the spell resolves.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
In the main set, there are four different kinds of gifts. “Gift a Food” causes the chosen opponent to create a Food token, while “Gift a Treasure” causes the chosen opponent to create a Treasure token. “Gift a card” causes them to draw a card, and “Gift a tapped Fish” causes them to create a tapped 1/1 blue Fish creature token. The Commander decks contain two more kinds of gifts: “Gift an Octopus,” which causes the chosen opponent to create an 8/8 blue Octopus creature token, and “Gift an extra turn,” which causes them to take an extra turn after the current turn ends.
Card named in this ruling
Related cards and tokens
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Into the Flood Maw
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