Lonis, Cryptozoologist 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
Whenever another nontoken creature you control enters, investigate., Sacrifice X Clues: Target opponent reveals the top X cards of their library. You may put a nonland permanent card with mana value X or less from among them onto the battlefield under your control. That player puts the rest on the bottom of their library in a random order.
Complete guide
Meet Lonis, Cryptozoologist, a legendary Snake Elf Scout who turns your biological discoveries into investigative breakthroughs. By rewarding your creature spells with Clue tokens, Lonis allows you to sift through your opponent's deck and seize their most powerful assets.
Master of Investigation
Lonis has two distinct abilities that synergize perfectly. The first is a triggered ability that triggers whenever another nontoken creature enters the battlefield under your control, granting you a Clue token (an artifact with '{2}, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card'). The second is an activated ability that requires tapping Lonis and sacrificing X Clue tokens to look at the top X cards of an opponent's library.
Resolving the Hunt
When you activate Lonis's second ability, you choose a value for X and a target opponent. Upon resolution, that opponent reveals the top X cards of their library. You may choose one nonland permanent card from those revealed cards with a mana value less than or equal to X and put it directly onto the battlefield under your control. Any remaining cards are shuffled and placed on the bottom of that player's library in a random order.
Managing Your Clues
A common mistake is trying to double-dip with your Clue tokens. You cannot sacrifice a single Clue to both its own 'draw a card' ability and Lonis's 'reveal cards' ability; you must choose one or the other. Additionally, remember that Lonis only triggers for nontoken creatures, so creating a creature token will not grant you a Clue.
Strategy and Timing
Lonis is best played in decks featuring low-cost creatures to generate a high volume of Clues quickly. Use the activated ability when you have enough Clues to reliably hit a high-impact nonland permanent, or as a way to disrupt an opponent's library if you know they have a specific card on top.
Interaction examples
Llanowar ElvesWith Lonis, Cryptozoologist on the battlefield, you cast Llanowar Elves. When Llanowar Elves enters the battlefield, Lonis's first ability triggers, and you create one Clue token. You now have the choice to spend two mana later to draw a card or save the token for Lonis's activated ability.
Birds of ParadiseIf you play Birds of Paradise while Lonis, Cryptozoologist is out, you gain another Clue token. If you already had a Clue from a previous turn, you now have two Clues. You can tap Lonis and sacrifice both Clues (X=2) to look at the top two cards of an opponent's library and potentially steal a nonland permanent with mana value 2 or less.
ClueIf Lonis, Cryptozoologist is targeted by a removal spell, you can respond by using your Clue tokens. You can either pay two mana and sacrifice a Clue to draw a card, or tap Lonis to sacrifice all your Clues to use his ability one last time before he leaves the battlefield.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Lonis, Cryptozoologist
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The token is named Clue Token and has the artifact subtype Clue. Clue isn't a creature type.
Card named in this ruling
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The tokens are normal artifacts. For example, one can be sacrificed to activate the ability of Breya's Apprentice and one can be the target of Break Ties.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
You can't sacrifice a Clue to activate its own ability and also to activate the ability of Lonis, Cryptozoologist.
Card named in this ruling
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Lonis, Cryptozoologist + Shrieking Drake + Academy Manufactor
- 1Cast Shrieking Drake by paying
. - 2Shrieking Drake enters the battlefield, triggering itself and Lonis.
- 3Resolve the Shrieking Drake trigger, returning itself from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4Resolve the Lonis trigger, creating a Clue, a Food, and a Treasure token.
- 5Activate the Treasure token by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Lonis, Cryptozoologist + Shrieking Drake + Urza, Lord High Artificer
- 1Cast Shrieking Drake by paying .
- 2Shrieking Drake enters the battlefield, triggering itself and Lonis.
- 3Resolve the Shrieking Drake trigger, returning it from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4Resolve the Lonis trigger, creating a Clue token.
- 5Activate Urza's first ability by tapping the Clue token, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Lonis, Cryptozoologist + Jaheira, Friend of the Forest + Deadeye Navigator + Academy Manufactor
- 1Activate Deadeye Navigator by paying
, blinking itself. - 2Deadeye Navigator enters the battlefield, triggering its soulbond ability and Lonis.
- 3Resolve the Lonis trigger, creating a Clue, a Food, and a Treasure token.
- 4Resolve the Deadeye Navigator trigger, pairing it and any other creature.
- 5Activate the Food or Clue token by tapping it, adding
. - 6Activate the Treasure token by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 7Repeat.
Lonis, Cryptozoologist + Deadeye Navigator + Academy Manufactor + Adrix and Nev, Twincasters
- 1Activate Deadeye Navigator by paying , blinking itself.
- 2Deadeye Navigator enters the battlefield, triggering its soulbond ability and Lonis.
- 3Resolve the Lonis trigger, creating two Clue, two Food, and two Treasure tokens.
- 4Resolve the Deadeye Navigator trigger, pairing it and any other creature.
- 5Activate the two Treasure tokens by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Lonis, Cryptozoologist + Urza, Lord High Artificer + Deadeye Navigator + Academy Manufactor
- 1Activate Deadeye Navigator by paying , blinking itself.
- 2Deadeye Navigator enters the battlefield, triggering its soulbond ability and Lonis.
- 3Resolve the Lonis trigger, creating a Clue, a Food, and a Treasure token.
- 4Resolve the Deadeye Navigator trigger, pairing it and any other creature.
- 5Activate Urza's first ability twice by tapping two artifacts, adding .
- 6Repeat.
- 7Once you have infinite mana, you may use it to activate Urza's second ability to cast all cards in your library.
Lonis, Cryptozoologist + Academy Manufactor + Eternal Witness + Essence Flux
- 1Cast Essence Flux by paying , blinking Eternal Witness.
- 2Eternal Witness enters the battlefield, triggering itself and Lonis.
- 3Resolve the Eternal Witness trigger, returning Essence Flux from your graveyard to your hand.
- 4Resolve the Lonis trigger, creating a Food, a Clue, and a Treasure token.
- 5Activate the Treasure token by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Lonis, Cryptozoologist + Deadeye Navigator + Academy Manufactor + Parallel Lives
- 1Activate Deadeye Navigator by paying , blinking itself.
- 2Deadeye Navigator enters the battlefield, triggering its soulbond ability and Lonis.
- 3Resolve the Lonis trigger, creating two Clue, two Food, and two Treasure tokens.
- 4Resolve the Deadeye Navigator trigger, pairing it and any other creature.
- 5Activate the two Treasure tokens by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Lonis, Cryptozoologist + Deadeye Navigator + Academy Manufactor + Doubling Season
- 1Activate Deadeye Navigator by paying , blinking itself.
- 2Deadeye Navigator enters the battlefield, triggering its soulbond ability and Lonis.
- 3Resolve the Lonis trigger, creating two Clue, two Food, and two Treasure tokens.
- 4Resolve the Deadeye Navigator trigger, pairing it and any other creature.
- 5Activate the two Treasure tokens by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Related cards and tokens
Legal formats
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