Officious Interrogation 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
This spell costsmore to cast for each target beyond the first. Choose any number of target players. Investigate X times, where X is the total number of creatures those players control.
Complete guide
Officious Interrogation is a powerful white and blue instant that rewards you for keeping a close eye on your opponents' boards. By questioning everyone at the table, you can generate a massive amount of Clue tokens to fuel your hand for the late game. It is a flexible tool that scales with both the number of players and the size of their armies.
How the Costs Scale
When you cast Officious Interrogation, you decide how many players you want to target. The first target is included in the base mana cost of {W}{U}. For every additional player you choose beyond the first, you must pay an extra {W}{U}. Note that while the total cost increases, the mana value of the spell remains 2. If you cast this spell 'without paying its mana cost' via another effect, you still have to pay the additional {W}{U} for each target after the first.
Resolving the Investigation
Upon resolution, the game counts the total number of creatures controlled by all legal targets. You then Investigate that many times. To Investigate, you create a Clue token—a colorless artifact with '{2}, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.' Each investigation is a separate action, though they happen sequentially during the spell's resolution. If a player becomes an illegal target (for example, by gaining Hexproof or leaving the game) before the spell resolves, their creatures are not counted.
Clue Token Interactions
Clue is an artifact type, not a creature type. You can sacrifice these tokens to their own ability to draw cards, or use them for other costs that require sacrificing artifacts or Clues. Remember that you cannot sacrifice the same Clue to pay for two different things; if you sacrifice a Clue to draw a card, you cannot also use that same sacrifice to satisfy another ability's cost.
Strategic Timing
As an instant, Officious Interrogation is best used right before your turn begins or in response to an opponent's action. If an opponent is about to lose their creatures to a board wipe, you can cast this in response to ensure you get your Clues before the battlefield is cleared. It is also a great way to punish players who go 'wide' with many small tokens.
Interaction examples
Officious InterrogationIn a Commander game, you choose to target three opponents. The total cost will be {3}{W}{3}{U} ({W}{U} base plus two additional sets of {W}{U}). If Opponent A has 3 creatures, Opponent B has 2, and Opponent C has 5, you will Investigate 10 times, creating 10 Clue tokens.
Swords to PlowsharesYou target an opponent who controls four creatures. In response, that opponent casts Swords to Plowshares on one of their own creatures to exile it. When Officious Interrogation resolves, it checks the current board state. Since the player now only controls three creatures, you will Investigate 3 times instead of 4.
Path to ExileYou cast Officious Interrogation targeting one player who controls five creatures. If that player somehow gains protection from blue or white, or otherwise becomes an illegal target before the spell resolves, the spell will fail to resolve entirely. You will not Investigate at all, even if they still control those five creatures.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Officious Interrogation
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Any target players that are no longer legal targets by the time Officious Interrogation resolves won't have their creatures counted when determining how many tokens you create.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
You choose how many targets Officious Interrogation has and what those targets are as you cast it. You can't choose the same target more than once. It's legal to cast Officious Interrogation with no targets, although this particular option should be placed under some serious scrutiny.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Officious Interrogation's mana value doesn't change no matter how many targets it has.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If this spell is copied and the effect that copies the spell allows a player to choose new targets for the copy, the number of targets can't be changed. The player may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. If, for one of the targets, the player can't choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal).
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell or ability allows you to cast Officious Interrogation without paying its mana cost, you must still pay the additional cost for any targets beyond the first.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Clue is an artifact type. Even though it appears on some cards with other permanent types, it's never a creature type, a land type, or anything but an artifact type.
Card named in this ruling
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect refers to a Clue, it means any Clue artifact, not just a Clue artifact token. For example, you can sacrifice Wrench to pay for Alquist Proft, Master Sleuth's activated ability.
Card named in this ruling
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
You can't sacrifice a Clue to pay multiple costs. For example, you can't sacrifice a Clue token to activate its own ability and also to activate Alquist Proft, Master Sleuth's ability.
Card named in this ruling
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
Some spells and abilities that investigate may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't create any Clue tokens.
Card named in this ruling
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
Some abilities trigger "whenever you sacrifice a Clue". Those abilities trigger whenever you sacrifice a Clue for any reason, not just to activate a Clue's activated ability.
Card named in this ruling
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Officious Interrogation + Mechanized Production
- 1At the beginning of your upkeep, Mechanized Production triggers.
- 2Holding priority, cast Officious Interrogation by paying
plus an additional as necessary, creating at least eight Clue artifact tokens. - 3Resolve the Mechanized Production trigger, creating a token copy of the artifact it is attached to and causing you to win the game.
Isochron Scepter + Officious Interrogation + Time Sieve
- 1Activate Isochron Scepter by paying
and tapping it, casting a copy of Officious Interrogation without paying its mana cost. - 2Resolve the copy of Officious Interrogation, creating at least five Clue artifact tokens.
- 3Activate Time Sieve by tapping it and sacrificing five Clues, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 4Repeat each turn.
Sunforger + Officious Interrogation + Mistveil Plains + Time Sieve
- 1Activate Sunforger by paying
and unattaching it, searching your library for Officious Interrogation and casting it without paying its mana cost, plus an additional as necessary. - 2Resolve Officious Interrogation, creating at least five Clue artifact tokens.
- 3Activate Time Sieve by tapping it and sacrificing five Clues, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 4Activate Mistveil Plains by paying and tapping it, putting Officious Interrogation from your graveyard onto the bottom of your library.
- 5Activate Sunforger's equip ability by paying
, attaching it to any creature you control. - 6Repeat each turn.
Related cards and tokens
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Officious Interrogation
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.