Read the Bones
| Name | Read the Bones |
|---|---|
| Type | Sorcery |
| Description | Scry 2, then draw two cards. You lose 2 life. (To scry 2, look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom and the rest on top in any order.) |
| Flavor | The dead know lessons the living haven't learned. |
| Artist | Nicholas Gregory |
| Set | Secret Lair Drop #7066 |
| Wallpaper | |
| Image |
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About Read the Bones
Read the Bones, Sorcery, designed by Lars Grant-West first released in Sep, 2013 in the set Theros and was printed exactly in 16 different ways. It see play in 2 formats: Commander and Duel Commander. It's currently being selled by the minimum price of 2.31.
A black control or midrange deck would benefit from using Read the Bones, as it provides card advantage through drawing two cards and filtering through the deck with scrying, at the cost of some life. While there are other similar cards like Sign in Blood or Night's Whisper that offer card draw without the life loss, Read the Bones is still a strong choice due to its flexibility in setting up future draws and potentially finding key cards. It should definitely see play in decks looking for card advantage and selection.
Top 8 decks with Read the Bones
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Rules
09/15/13
Scry appears on some spells and abilities with one or more targets. If all of the spell or ability’s targets are illegal when it tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won’t scry.
09/15/13
The loss of life is part of the spell’s effect. It’s not an additional cost. If Read the Bones doesn’t resolve, you won’t lose life.
09/15/13
You choose how to order cards returned to your library after scrying no matter where you put them.
Where to buy
![]() | TCG Player | 72 uni.
| 1.84 | Visit store |
![]() | Card Kingdom | 186 uni.
| 3.78 | Visit store |
![]() | Ebay.com | Visit store | ||
![]() | Printing proxies | $ 0.75 | Visit store |
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Frequently asked questions about Read the Bones
What type of card is Read the Bones?
Read the Bones is a Sorcery card in Magic: the Gathering MTG.
What does Read the Bones do?
Scry 2, then draw two cards. You lose 2 life. (To scry 2, look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom and the rest on top in any order.)
How much does Read the Bones cost?
Read the Bones currently starts at 2.31. See live prices from multiple sellers in the Where to buy section above.
What set is Read the Bones from?
Read the Bones was first released in the set Theros, illustrated by Lars Grant-West.
Is Read the Bones legal to play?
Legality depends on the tournament format -- Read the Bones can be legal in some formats and banned or restricted in others. See the full breakdown per format in the Legality section above.
What competitive formats is Read the Bones played in?
Read the Bones sees competitive metagame play in 2 format(s): Commander, Duel Commander.
What cards are similar to Read the Bones?
Cards similar to Read the Bones include Ferocious Charge, Guiding Bolt, Crystal Ball. See the full list in the Similar cards section above.





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