Shrieking Drake 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
Flying When this creature enters, return a creature you control to its owner's hand.
Complete guide
Shrieking Drake is a classic blue creature known for its high efficiency and its mandatory self-bouncing trigger. For just one blue mana, you get a flying body that can reset your other creatures' enters-the-battlefield effects or safely return to your hand. Understanding the timing of its trigger is key to mastering this card in your next match.
What It Does
Shrieking Drake is a 1/1 creature with Flying. Its most important feature is its triggered ability: when it enters the battlefield, you must return a creature you control to its owner's hand. Because the ability does not say 'another creature,' Shrieking Drake is a valid choice to return to your own hand.
How It Resolves Step by Step
First, you cast Shrieking Drake and it resolves, entering the battlefield. This puts its triggered ability on the stack. When the ability resolves, you choose one creature you currently control. Crucially, this ability does not target. You make the choice only as the ability is resolving, meaning opponents cannot respond to the specific creature you choose; they must use their spells or abilities while the trigger is still on the stack.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is forgetting that the ability is mandatory. If Shrieking Drake is the only creature you control when the ability resolves, you must return it to your hand. You cannot choose to 'fail to find' a creature. Additionally, because the ability doesn't target, you can return creatures with Shroud, Hexproof, or Protection from Blue.
When to Play It
This card shines when you want to reuse 'enters the battlefield' abilities of other creatures. It also serves as a cheap way to trigger effects that care about you casting spells or creatures entering the battlefield multiple times in a single turn. Since it can bounce itself, you can cast it repeatedly if you have the mana available.
Interaction examples
Faerie MastermindIf your opponent targets your Faerie Mastermind with a removal spell, you can cast Shrieking Drake. When the Drake enters, its trigger goes on the stack. When it resolves, you choose to return Faerie Mastermind to your hand, causing the opponent's spell to fizzle because its target is gone.
Ornithopter of ParadiseYou have Ornithopter of Paradise on the battlefield. You cast Shrieking Drake. Upon entry, you choose to return Ornithopter of Paradise to your hand. You can then immediately recast the Ornithopter if you have the mana, perhaps to reset it if it was affected by a negative aura or simply to trigger another effect.
If you cast Shrieking Drake onto an empty board, its ability still triggers. Since it is the only creature you control, you must choose Shrieking Drake to return to your hand. This effectively lets you pay one blue mana to trigger any 'whenever you cast a creature spell' abilities you might have.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Shrieking Drake
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
You may return Shrieking Drake itself to its owner's hand as its triggered ability resolves. If you don't control any other creature, you must return it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Shrieking Drake's ability doesn't target any creature. Therefore, no player may take actions between the time you choose the creature to return and the time you return it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Intruder Alarm + Shrieking Drake
- 1Activate all mana-producing creatures you control by tapping them, adding at least
. - 2Cast Shrieking Drake by paying .
- 3Shrieking Drake enters the battlefield, triggering Intruder Alarm and Shrieking Drake.
- 4Resolve the Intruder Alarm's trigger, untapping all creatures you control.
- 5Resolve the Shrieking Drake's trigger, returning it to your hand.
- 6Repeat.
Peregrine Drake + Shrieking Drake + Panharmonicon
- 1Cast Peregrine Drake by paying
. - 2When Peregrine Drake enters the battlefield, it triggers itself twice due to Panharmonicon.
- 3Resolve one Peregrine Drake trigger, untapping five lands.
- 4Activate those lands by tapping them to add at least
. - 5Resolve the remaining Peregrine Drake trigger, untapping five lands.
- 6Activate those lands by tapping them to add at least .
- 7Cast Shrieking Drake by paying .
- 8When Shrieking Drake enters the battlefield, it triggers itself twice due to Panharmonicon, returning itself and Peregrine Drake from the battlefield to your hand.
Aluren + Shrieking Drake
- 1Cast Shrieking Drake without paying its mana cost due to Aluren.
- 2When Shrieking Drake enters, it triggers, returning itself from the battlefield to your hand.
- 3Repeat.
Lonis, Cryptozoologist + Shrieking Drake + Academy Manufactor
- 1Cast Shrieking Drake by paying .
- 2Shrieking Drake enters the battlefield, triggering itself and Lonis.
- 3Resolve the Shrieking Drake trigger, returning itself from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4Resolve the Lonis trigger, creating a Clue, a Food, and a Treasure token.
- 5Activate the Treasure token by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Ms. Bumbleflower + Shrieking Drake + Smothering Tithe
- 1Cast Shrieking Drake by paying .
- 2Ms. Bumbleflower triggers, causing an opponent to draw a card who cannot pay for Smothering Tithe's trigger, and putting a +1/+1 counter on a creature.
- 3Smothering Tithe triggers, creating a Treasure token, as the opponent who drew a card cannot pay for its trigger.
- 4When Shrieking Drake enters, it triggers, returning it from the battlefield to your hand.
- 5Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Cloud of Faeries + Shrieking Drake + Panharmonicon
- 1Cast Cloud of Faeries by paying
. - 2Cloud of Faeries enters the battlefield, triggering their abilities twice each.
- 3Resolve the first Cloud of Faeries ability, untap two lands.
- 4Holding priority, activate two lands by tapping those, adding at least .
- 5Repeat step 3 for each remaining Cloud of Faeries trigger Cast Shrieking Drake by paying .
- 6Shrieking Drake enters the battlefield, triggering their abilities twice each.
- 7Resolve the first Shrieking Drake ability, returning itself to hand.
- 8Resolve the second Shrieking Drake ability, returning Cloud of Faeries to hand.
Shrieking Drake + Earthcraft
- 1Activate a basic Island you control by tapping it, adding .
- 2Cast Shrieking Drake by paying .
- 3Shrieking Drake enters the battlefield, triggering itself.
- 4Holding priority, activate Earthcraft by tapping Shrieking Drake, untapping a tapped basic Island.
- 5Resolve Shrieking Drake's trigger, returning it from the battlefield to your hand.
- 6Repeat.
Chulane, Teller of Tales + Mana Breach + Shrieking Drake
- 1Activate a land by tapping it, adding .
- 2Cast Shrieking Drake by paying .
- 3Mana Breach and Chulane triggers.
- 4Resolve the Mana Breach trigger, returning a land to your hand.
- 5Resolve the Chulane triggers, causing you to draw a card and put land from your hand onto the battlefield.
- 6Shrieking Drake enters the battlefield triggers, returning itself from the battlefield to your hand.
- 7Repeat.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Shrieking Drake
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.