Optimistic Scavenger 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
Eerie — Whenever an enchantment you control enters and whenever you fully unlock a Room, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
Complete guide
Optimistic Scavenger is a low-cost Human Scout that rewards you for surrounding yourself with enchantments and exploring the mysterious Rooms of Duskmourn. Every time an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control or you fully unlock a Room, this creature helps grow your board presence. It serves as a powerful engine in decks that focus on permanent-based synergy and tactical growth.
What It Does
Optimistic Scavenger features the Eerie keyword, which is a triggered ability. It monitors two specific events: an enchantment you control entering the battlefield, and the moment you fully unlock a Room. When either of these events occurs, you choose a target creature to receive a permanent +1/+1 counter. This ability can target Optimistic Scavenger itself or any other creature you control.
How It Resolves Step by Step
First, the Eerie event must occur, such as casting an enchantment spell or using the mana cost to unlock the second door of a Room. Once the event resolves, the Eerie ability is put onto the stack and you must choose a target creature immediately. If the target is still legal when the ability resolves, you place one +1/+1 counter on it. If Optimistic Scavenger enters the battlefield at the same time as other enchantments, it will see them and trigger for each one.
Common Mistakes
A common point of confusion involves the 'fully unlock a Room' condition. A Room is only considered 'fully unlocked' when the second door is opened; opening the first door of a Room card from your hand does not trigger this specific part of the ability (though it usually triggers the 'enchantment enters' part). Additionally, remember that you cannot change the target of the counter once the ability has been placed on the stack unless another effect allows you to.
When to Play It
Optimistic Scavenger is most effective in the early turns of the game. Because it costs only one white mana, it can be deployed before your larger enchantments, ensuring you maximize the number of counters distributed. It is particularly strong in 'Aggro' or 'Midrange' shells where increasing the power of your utility creatures can force your opponent into difficult blocking situations.
Interaction examples
Esper SentinelWith both creatures on the battlefield, you play an enchantment. The Eerie ability triggers, and you choose to put the +1/+1 counter on Esper Sentinel. This increases the tax your opponent must pay to prevent you from drawing cards, making your utility creature much harder to play around.
Ornithopter of ParadiseIf you have Ornithopter of Paradise on the field, you can use Optimistic Scavenger's Eerie triggers to put counters on the Thopter. Because Ornithopter of Paradise has Flying, you are transforming a mana-producing creature into a growing evasive threat that can chip away at your opponent's life total.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Optimistic Scavenger
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If a permanent with an eerie ability enters at the same time as one or more enchantments, its ability will trigger for each of those enchantments.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
An ability that triggers "whenever you fully unlock a Room" triggers when a door becomes unlocked and the other door of that Room is already unlocked, or when both doors of that Room become unlocked simultaneously.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Optimistic Scavenger
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.