Splash Portal 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
Exile target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control. If that creature is a Bird, Frog, Otter, or Rat, draw a card.
Complete guide
Splash Portal is a versatile blue sorcery that allows you to temporarily blink a creature you control to reset its state or trigger 'enters the battlefield' abilities. Beyond its tactical movement, it rewards players who lean into the Bloomburrow themes by offering card advantage. This spell is a perfect fit for decks focusing on small, nimble creatures that benefit from a quick dip through the portal.
What It Does
At its core, Splash Portal exiles a creature you control and immediately returns it to the battlefield under its owner's control. This process resets the creature as a new object, clearing any counters, auras, or temporary effects currently affecting it. Additionally, if the creature returned is a Bird, Frog, Otter, or Rat, you get to draw a card, making it an efficient way to cycle through your deck while protecting your board.
Resolving the Portal Step by Step
First, you target a creature you control as you cast the spell. Upon resolution, the creature is moved to the exile zone. Next, the card returns directly to the battlefield. Finally, the game checks the creature's types as it exists now on the battlefield. If it possesses one of the four specified creature types—Bird, Frog, Otter, or Rat—you draw a card. Note that if the creature was a token, it disappears in exile and never returns, meaning you won't draw a card.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
One common error is using Splash Portal on tokens; since tokens cease to exist when they leave the battlefield, they cannot return to trigger the draw. Another mistake is assuming the draw depends on the creature's types before it was exiled. The game only cares about what the creature is when it arrives back on the battlefield. Lastly, remember that any Auras attached to the creature will go to the graveyard, and Equipment will fall off and stay on the battlefield.
When to Play It
Play Splash Portal to save a key creature from targeted removal or to re-trigger powerful 'enters the battlefield' effects. It is most effective when used on one of the four supported animal types to ensure you don't lose card parity. Because it is a sorcery, you must use it during your main phase, making it a proactive tool for value rather than a reactive trick to dodge combat damage.
Interaction examples
PonderIf you use Ponder and see cards you don't want, you might shuffle. If you then cast Splash Portal on a Rat creature, you effectively blink your creature to trigger any board effects and draw the fresh card you just shuffled into place, maximizing your deck manipulation.
PreordainAfter casting Preordain to Scry 2 and draw, you might find that you still need one more specific card. By casting Splash Portal on a Frog you control, you blink the Frog and draw an additional card, allowing you to dig three cards deep into your library in a single turn for just two blue mana.
With only Splash Portal in hand and a Bird on the battlefield that has a 'when this creature enters the battlefield' ability, you can cast the spell to exile the Bird. It returns immediately, triggering its ability again and allowing you to draw a card because it is a Bird, providing double value for a single mana.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Splash Portal
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Once the exiled permanent returns, it’s considered a new object with no relation to the object that it was. Auras attached to the exiled permanent will be put into their owners’ graveyards. Equipment attached to the exiled permanent will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled permanent will cease to exist.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
In the case where the exiled permanent returns with different creature types than it had when it left the battlefield (for example, if the target creature was copying something else when Splash Portal began to resolve), Splash Portal will check its creature types as it exists after returning to the battlefield. If it’s a Bird, Frog, Otter, or Rat at that point, you’ll draw a card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won’t return to the battlefield. You won’t draw a card even if it was a Bird, Frog, Otter, or Rat.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Dualcaster Mage + Splash Portal
- 1Cast Splash Portal by paying its mana cost.
- 2Holding priority, cast Dualcaster Mage by paying its mana cost.
- 3When Dualcaster Mage enters, it triggers, copying Splash Portal, with the copy targeting Dualcaster Mage.
- 4Resolve the copy of Splash Portal, blinking Dualcaster Mage.
- 5Repeat from step 3.
Naru Meha, Master Wizard + Splash Portal
- 1Cast Splash Portal by paying its mana cost.
- 2Holding priority, cast Naru Meha by paying its mana cost plus commander tax if applicable.
- 3When Naru Meha enters, it triggers, copying Splash Portal, with the copy targeting Naru Meha.
- 4Resolve the copy of Splash Portal, blinking Naru Meha.
- 5Repeat from step 3.
Preston, the Vanisher + Felidar Guardian + Splash Portal
- 1Cast Splash Portal by paying its mana cost, blinking Felidar Guardian.
- 2Felidar Guardian and Preston trigger.
- 3Resolve the Felidar Guardian trigger, blinking another permanent you control.
- 4Resolve the Preston trigger, creating a token copy of Felidar Guardian that is a 0/1 Illusion.
- 5When the Felidar Guardian token enters the battlefield, it triggers, blinking the nontoken Felidar Guardian.
- 6Repeat from step 2.
Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward + Archaeomancer + Splash Portal
- 1Cast Splash Portal by paying its mana cost, blinking Abdel Adrian.
- 2Abdel Adrian leaves the battlefield, returning Archaeomancer and all other cards that were exiled with it to the battlefield.
- 3Abdel Adrian and Archaeomancer trigger.
- 4Resolve the Archaeomancer trigger, returning Splash Portal from your graveyard to your hand.
- 5Holding priority, activate any number of nonland permanents you control by tapping them, adding at least enough mana to cast Splash Portal.
- 6Resolve the Abdel Adrian trigger, exiling Archaeomancer and the mana-producing permanents until Abdel Adrian leaves the battlefield, and creating a 1/1 Soldier creature token for each permanent exiled this way.
- 7Repeat.
Storm-Kiln Artist + Splash Portal + Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak
- 1Cast Splash Portal by paying
, targeting Pinnacle Monk. - 2Storm-Kiln Artist triggers, creating a Treasure artifact token.
- 3Resolve Splash Portal, blinking Pinnacle Monk.
- 4When Pinnacle Monk enters the battlefield, it triggers, returning Splash Portal to your hand from your graveyard.
- 5Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Storm-Kiln Artist + Archaeomancer + Splash Portal
- 1Cast Splash Portal by paying , targeting Archaeomancer
- 2Storm-Kiln Artist triggers, creating a Treasure artifact token.
- 3Resolve Splash Portal, blinking Archaeomancer
- 4When Archaeomancer enters the battlefield, it triggers, returning Splash Portal to your hand from your graveyard.
- 5Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward + Mnemonic Wall + Splash Portal
- 1Cast Splash Portal by paying its mana cost, blinking Abdel Adrian.
- 2Abdel Adrian leaves the battlefield, returning Mnemonic Wall and all other cards that were exiled with it to the battlefield.
- 3Abdel Adrian and Mnemonic Wall trigger.
- 4Resolve the Mnemonic Wall trigger, returning Splash Portal from your graveyard to your hand.
- 5Holding priority, activate any number of nonland permanents you control by tapping them, adding at least enough mana to cast Splash Portal.
- 6Resolve the Abdel Adrian trigger, exiling Mnemonic Wall and the mana-producing permanents until Abdel Adrian leaves the battlefield, and creating a 1/1 Soldier creature token for each permanent exiled this way.
- 7Repeat.
Storm-Kiln Artist + Eternal Witness + Splash Portal
- 1Cast Splash Portal by paying , targeting Eternal Witness
- 2Storm-Kiln Artist triggers, creating a Treasure artifact token.
- 3Resolve Splash Portal, blinking Eternal Witness
- 4When Eternal Witness enters the battlefield, it triggers, returning Splash Portal to your hand from your graveyard.
- 5Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Splash Portal
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.