Omen of the SeaHow it works & interactions with other cards

Immediate Card Filtering

When Omen of the Sea enters the battlefield, its triggered ability goes on the stack. You first perform a scry 2, allowing you to look at the top two cards of your library and place them on the top or bottom in any order. After you have filtered your deck, you then draw a card. This specific sequence ensures you have a high degree of control over what card actually ends up in your hand.

The Late Game Sacrifice

Unlike a simple instant, Omen of the Sea stays on the board after resolving. For the cost of two generic and one blue mana, you can sacrifice it at any time to scry 2 again. This is particularly useful in the late game when you need to find a specific answer or are flooded with excess mana. Since this is an activated ability, you can even use it in response to an opponent's spell or effect that would remove the enchantment anyway.

Timing and Strategy

Because it has Flash, you should often wait until your opponent's end step to cast it. This keeps your mana open for counterspells or removal. If you don't need to interact, you cast Omen of the Sea right before your turn starts to set up your next draw. Remember that the scry and draw happen as a single triggered ability, so no one can stop the draw once the ability begins resolving after the scry.

Interaction examples

Navigating Taxes

Rhystic Study

If an opponent has Rhystic Study in play and you cast Omen of the Sea, Rhystic Study triggers first. You must decide whether to pay the extra {1} mana. Once that is resolved and Omen of the Sea enters the battlefield, its own trigger allows you to scry 2 and draw, regardless of whether you gave your opponent a card from the Rhystic Study trigger.

Noncreature Triggers

Mystic Remora

Omen of the Sea is a noncreature spell. If you cast it while an opponent controls Mystic Remora, your opponent will get a trigger to draw a card unless they are paid {4}. You can use the Flash on Omen of the Sea to cast it when the opponent is tapped out, ensuring they cannot pay for their own Cumulative Upkeep on the Remora later, or simply to dig for an answer to the Remora itself.

Maximizing Scry

On your opponent's turn, you cast Omen of the Sea. You scry 2, put a useless land on the bottom and a powerful spell on top, then draw that spell. On your next turn, after attacking, you use the activated ability to sacrifice Omen of the Sea. You scry 2 more cards to ensure your next draw step is exactly what you need to win the game.