Scholar of the Ages 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
When this creature enters, return up to two target instant and/or sorcery cards from your graveyard to your hand.
Complete guide
Scholar of the Ages is a powerful Human Wizard that offers immense late-game value for spell-heavy decks. By retrieving your most impactful instants and sorceries from the graveyard, it ensures you never run out of answers or threats. Its arrival on the battlefield can completely shift the momentum of a match by reloading your hand with tools you have already used.
Unlocking Magical Secrets
When Scholar of the Ages enters the battlefield, its triggered ability allows you to select up to two target instant and/or sorcery cards from your graveyard. These targets are chosen as the ability is put onto the stack. Note that you are not required to choose two; you can choose zero, one, or two cards in any combination of these types.
Resolution Step-by-Step
First, the creature must successfully enter the battlefield. Once it does, the triggered ability triggers and you choose your targets. If a targeted card is removed from your graveyard before the ability resolves, that specific target becomes illegal. If all targets become illegal, the ability does nothing. If at least one target is still legal, you return the legal targets to your hand as the ability resolves.
A Note on Card Types
A common mistake involves misreading the quantity of cards retrieved. The ability allows for a total of two cards. You cannot, for example, return two instants and two sorceries. The 'and/or' phrasing simply means the pool of two cards can consist of two instants, two sorceries, or one of each.
Strategy and Timing
With a mana cost of seven, Scholar of the Ages is a high-end finisher. It is best played when your graveyard is stocked with high-impact spells. Because it triggers on entry, it pairs exceptionally well with 'blink' effects or cards that return creatures to your hand, allowing you to repeatedly cycle your best spells back into your grip.
Interaction examples
Hullbreaker HorrorIf you have Scholar of the Ages in hand and Hullbreaker Horror on the battlefield, casting the Scholar triggers the Horror's ability. You can return an opponent's nonland permanent to their hand. Once Scholar of the Ages resolves and enters, you can target two spells used earlier in the game to return them to your hand, providing more fuel for future Hullbreaker Horror triggers.
Consecrated SphinxWhile Consecrated Sphinx draws you fresh cards from your library whenever an opponent draws, Scholar of the Ages acts as a 'curated' draw from your graveyard. If you have both on the field, you can use the spells returned by the Scholar to protect the Sphinx, ensuring that your massive card advantage remains unchecked by opponent removal.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Scholar of the Ages
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The triggered ability of Scholar of the Ages can return at most two cards, not two instant cards plus two sorcery cards.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Scholar of the Ages + Burnt Offering + Persist
- 1Cast Burnt Offering by paying
and sacrificing Scholar of the Ages, adding seven . - 2Cast Persist by paying its mana cost, returning Scholar of the Ages from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Scholar of the Ages enters, it triggers, returning Burnt Offering and Persist from your graveyard to your hand.
- 4Repeat.
Scholar of the Ages + Culling the Weak + Persist
- 1Cast Culling the Weak by paying and sacrificing Scholar of the Ages, adding .
- 2Cast Persist by paying its mana cost, returning Scholar of the Ages from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Scholar of the Ages enters, it triggers, returning Culling the Weak and Persist from your graveyard to your hand.
- 4Repeat.
Scholar of the Ages + Shallow Grave + Culling the Weak
- 1Cast Culling the Weak by paying and sacrificing Scholar of the Ages, adding .
- 2Cast Shallow Grave by paying its mana cost, returning Scholar of the Ages from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Scholar of the Ages enters, it triggers, returning Culling the Weak and Shallow Grave from your graveyard to your hand.
- 4Repeat.
Scholar of the Ages + Burnt Offering + Shallow Grave
- 1Cast Burnt Offering by paying and sacrificing Scholar of the Ages, adding seven mana in any combination of and/or
. - 2Cast Shallow Grave by paying
, returning Scholar of the Ages from your graveyard to the battlefield. - 3Scholar of the Ages triggers, returning Burnt Offering and Shallow Grave from your graveyard to your hand.
- 4Repeat.
Ghostly Flicker + Peregrine Drake + Scholar of the Ages
- 1Activate up to five lands by tapping them, adding at least
. - 2Cast Ghostly Flicker by paying , blinking Scholar of the Ages and Peregrine Drake.
- 3When Scholar of the Ages and Peregrine Drake enter the battlefield, their abilities trigger.
- 4Resolve the Scholar of the Ages trigger, returning Ghostly Flicker and up to one instant or sorcery to your hand from your graveyard.
- 5Resolve the Peregrine Drake trigger, untapping up to five lands.
- 6Repeat.
Saw in Half + Burnt Offering + Scholar of the Ages
- 1Cast Saw in Half by paying , destroying Scholar of the Ages and creating two token copies of it with base power equal to half the destroyed creature's power and base toughness equal to half the destroyed creature's toughness, rounding up each time.
- 2When the Scholar of the Ages tokens enter the battlefield, they trigger, returning Saw in Half and Burnt Offering from your graveyard to your hand along with up to two other instants and/or sorceries.
- 3Cast Burnt Offering by paying and sacrificing a Scholar of the Ages token, adding plus an additional amount of and/or equal to its mana value minus 2.
- 4Repeat.
Scholar of the Ages + Sacrifice + Persist
- 1Cast Sacrifice by paying and sacrificing Scholar of the Ages, adding seven .
- 2Cast Persist by paying its mana cost, returning Scholar of the Ages from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Scholar of the Ages enters, it triggers, returning Sacrifice and Persist from your graveyard to your hand.
- 4Repeat.
Saw in Half + Culling the Weak + Scholar of the Ages
- 1Cast Culling the Weak by paying and sacrificing another creature, adding .
- 2Cast Saw in Half by paying , destroying Scholar of the Ages and creating two token copies of it with base power equal to half the destroyed creature's power and base toughness equal to half the destroyed creature's toughness, rounding up each time.
- 3When the Scholar of the Ages tokens enter the battlefield, they trigger, returning Saw in Half and Culling the Weak from your graveyard to your hand, as well as up to two additional instants or sorceries.
- 4Repeat.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Scholar of the Ages
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.