Lunatic PandoraHow it works & interactions with other cards

Filtering Your Future

The first ability of Lunatic Pandora allows you to spend two mana and tap it to Surveil 1. When you Surveil, you look at the top card of your library; you then choose to either leave it on top or put it directly into your graveyard. This is particularly useful for setting up your next draw or filling your graveyard with cards that have synergy with other mechanics.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

When the battlefield becomes too crowded, Lunatic Pandora can be used to destroy any target nonland permanent. This costs six mana and requires you to tap and sacrifice the artifact as part of the cost. Because the sacrifice is a cost, your opponents cannot respond to the activation by trying to destroy the Pandora themselves to stop the effect; once the ability is on the stack, the Pandora is already in the graveyard.

Strategic Timing

Since Lunatic Pandora is a legendary artifact, you can only have one on the battlefield at a time. It is often best to use the Surveil ability during your opponent's end step to ensure you have the best possible draw for your upcoming turn. Save the destruction ability for high-priority targets like planeswalkers, problematic enchantments, or powerful creatures that you cannot otherwise remove.

Interaction examples

Accelerating the Countdown

Sol Ring

With Sol Ring on the battlefield, you can tap it to produce two colorless mana, which perfectly covers the activation cost for Lunatic Pandora's Surveil ability. This allows you to filter your deck repeatedly in the early game without tapping into your colored mana sources.

Fixing for the Finish

Arcane Signet

In the late game, you may need a specific color of mana to reach the six mana required to activate Lunatic Pandora's destruction ability. Using Arcane Signet ensures you have the correct mana colors available, allowing you to sacrifice the Pandora to destroy an opponent's most dangerous nonland permanent.