Surveil — what does it mean?
Look at the top card(s) of your library and choose, for each one, to put it in your graveyard or leave it on top.
Surveil appears on 257 cards.
How does Surveil work?
Surveil N means: look at the top N cards of your library, put any number of them into your graveyard, and the rest back on top in any order. You can keep them all, bin them all, or split them. Only you see the cards that stay on top. Whatever you bin is face up in your graveyard.
The difference from scry is where the rejected cards go. With scry they go to the bottom of your library; with surveil they go to your graveyard. That's often better: cards in your graveyard can still matter for effects that work from there, or effects that count what's in it. The downside: what's in your graveyard doesn't come back into your library.
Surveil isn't drawing, and it isn't milling. Effects that trigger when you mill or when you scry don't trigger on surveil. Surveil 0 isn't a surveil, so abilities that trigger whenever you surveil won't trigger. Like scry, it all happens while the spell or ability resolves. Nobody can respond in the middle.
An example at the table
You cast a spell with surveil 2. On top of your library are a creature you can use and a spell that can be cast again from your graveyard. You keep the creature on top so you'll draw it next turn. The other spell goes to your graveyard. You haven't lost it: you can cast it from there later. With scry you'd have put it on the bottom, and it would've been gone for now.
Cards with Surveil
ConsiderIllustration: Brian Yuen
Undercity SewersIllustration: Yeong-Hao Han
Underground MortuaryIllustration: Sergey Glushakov
Hedge MazeIllustration: Andrew Mar
Raucous TheaterIllustration: Sergey GlushakovCommon mistakes
- Thinking surveil is the same as scry. With surveil, rejected cards go to your graveyard, not the bottom of your library.
- Thinking surveil counts as milling. They're different actions; mill triggers don't fire on surveil.
- Thinking you can also put cards on the bottom. With surveil you only choose between graveyard and top.
Frequently asked questions
- Which is better, scry or surveil?
- It depends on your deck. Surveil is stronger when your deck benefits from cards in the graveyard; scry keeps cards in your library.
- Can I leave all the cards on top when I surveil?
- Yes. You put as many cards into your graveyard as you like, including none, and the rest go on top in any order.
- Does surveil count as drawing?
- No. No card goes to your hand.
- Does my opponent see which cards I bin?
- Yes. Cards in your graveyard are public. The cards you keep on top are seen only by you.
Official rule: Comprehensive Rules 701.25. More on where this rulebook comes from under Sources.
Often seen with
FlyingEmpower JaceMenaceTransformFlashback
Which cards with Surveil do you own? →
Last updated: 26 October 2026