Unable to Scream 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
Enchant creature Enchanted creature loses all abilities and is a Toy artifact creature with base power and toughness 0/2 in addition to its other types. As long as enchanted creature is face down, it can't be turned face up.
Complete guide
Unable to Scream is a potent blue Aura that transforms a creature into a harmless plaything. By stripping a creature of its abilities and resetting its size, it effectively neutralizes even the most terrifying threats on the battlefield. Whether you are dealing with a massive dragon or a utility creature with annoying perks, this card turns them into a silent 0/2 Toy.
What It Does
Unable to Scream is an Aura that enchants a creature. It has three primary effects on the enchanted permanent: it loses all existing abilities, its base power and toughness become 0/2, and it gains the Toy artifact creature types in addition to its original types. Additionally, if the creature was face down, it is locked in that state and cannot be turned face up.
How It Resolves Step by Step
When Unable to Scream enters the battlefield and attaches to a creature, the game applies continuous effects in a specific order called layers. First, it adds the 'Artifact' and 'Toy' types to the creature. Next, it removes all abilities printed on the card or granted by previous effects. Finally, it sets the base power and toughness to 0/2. Note that this only changes the 'base' values; any +1/+1 counters or temporary buffs like Giant Growth will still apply on top of the 0/2 stats.
Common Mistakes
A common point of confusion involves the timing of new abilities. If a creature gains an ability AFTER Unable to Scream is already attached, it will keep that new ability. For example, if you cast a spell that says 'Target creature gains Flying' on a creature already enchanted by Unable to Scream, it will indeed have Flying. Furthermore, this card does not remove counters, so a 0/2 Toy with three +1/+1 counters will still be a 3/5 creature.
When to Play It
This card is best used against creatures with powerful static or triggered abilities that you cannot otherwise remove. Because it costs only one blue mana, it is a highly efficient way to shut down commanders or utility pieces. It is also uniquely effective against 'Ward' or 'Protection' if you can get it onto the battlefield without casting it (such as through recursion), though usually, you will cast it directly to silence a threat.
Interaction examples
Mystic RemoraIf an opponent manages to turn their Mystic Remora into a creature (using another effect), and you enchant it with Unable to Scream, the Remora loses its ability to draw cards when opponents cast spells. It also loses its Cumulative Upkeep, meaning the opponent no longer has to pay mana to keep it on the battlefield, but it remains a simple 0/2 Toy artifact creature.
Urza's SagaIf a player uses the second chapter of Urza's Saga to create a 0/0 Construct token, and you enchant that token with Unable to Scream, the token loses its ability that grants it +1/+1 for each artifact. Its base stats become 0/2. However, since the token is now an artifact itself (and stayed one), other Constructs your opponent controls will still count it toward their own power and toughness calculations.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Unable to Scream
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If the affected permanent gains an ability after Unable to Scream becomes attached to it, it will keep that ability.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Unable to Scream's second ability overwrites all previous effects that set the creature's base power and toughness to specific values. Any power- or toughness-setting effects that start to apply afterward will overwrite this effect.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Effects that modify a creature's power and toughness, such as the effect of Jump Scare, will apply to that creature no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for any counters that change its power and/or toughness and effects that switch its power and toughness.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Medomai the Ageless + Capsize + Unable to Scream
- 1Deal combat damage using Medomai, triggering its ability, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 2Move to your next turn.
- 3Cast Unable to Scream by paying its mana cost, attaching it to Medomai and causing it to lose its abilities.
- 4Declare Medomai as an attacker.
- 5Holding priority, cast Capsize with buyback by paying
, returning Unable to Scream and Capsize to your hand. - 6Repeat from step 1.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Unable to Scream
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.