Scryfall Search Syntax Cheatsheet

More to explore · beginner

Scryfall (<https://scryfall.com>) has the best card search engine in MTG, and the Cards browser on this site speaks the same style of syntax. Knowing it unlocks deckbuilding superpowers. This page lists what the search box here understands; a short section at the end lists the Scryfall filters it does not.

The basics

Plain words match the card name:

lightning bolt -- names containing both words.
"lightning bolt" -- the exact phrase.
!"Lightning Bolt" -- exactly that card.

Filters (the good stuff)

Syntax	Matches
`c:r`	Colors include red
`c:rg`	Colors include red AND green (it may have more)
`c=rg`	Colors are exactly red + green (no third color)
`id<=rg`	Color identity fits in a Red/Green (Gruul) commander deck
`id:rg`	Color identity includes red and green (it may have more). `ci:` and `commander:` mean the same. To find cards for a deck, use `id<=`
`t:creature`	Type is creature
`t:dragon`	Type or subtype is Dragon
`t:legendary t:creature`	Both qualifiers
`o:trample`	Oracle text contains "trample"
`o:"draw a card"`	Oracle text contains the phrase
`mv:3`	Mana value is 3
`mv<=2`	Mana value 2 or less
`pow>3`	Power greater than 3
`tou=4`	Toughness exactly 4
`r:rare`	Rarity is rare (`r>=rare` for rare and mythic)
`s:dom`	Set is Dominaria
`cmc>=5`	(legacy alias for mv)
`f:commander`	Commander legal today, exactly as Scryfall reports it
`is:commanderlegal`	Commander legal, counting upcoming paper cards that become legal when their set releases. The guided deck builder's pool uses this
`legal:standard`	Standard legal
`is:commander`	Can be your commander
`is:gamechanger`	On the Game Changers list
`is:reserved`	Is on the Reserved List
`usd<=5`	Costs $5 or less
`produces:r`	Adds red mana
`produces=wubrg`	Produces all five colors
`keyword:flying`	Has the flying keyword
`kw:scry`	(alias for keyword)
`flavor:"i am the storm"`	Flavor text contains phrase

Readable deck membership

in followed by : finds cards in a readable current deck. It compares the card's underlying Oracle identity, so every printing and custom version of that card matches. A membership search never changes the deck.

Syntax	Matches
`in:SIM`	Cards in a readable deck whose name, slug, or set code matches SIM
`in:simic-growth-chamber`	Cards in that readable deck slug
`in:"Simic Growth Chamber"`	Cards in a readable deck whose name matches the wildcard
`in:Simic Growth Chamber`	The same paired-star wildcard without quotes
`-in:SIM`	Cards outside matching readable decks

ci: remains color identity; for example, ci<=b in:SIM finds cards in a matching readable deck whose color identity fits black. A scope notice can say that no readable deck matched a valid membership selector. That is different from an invalid search and can validly return zero cards.

Deck roles and themes

These read the card tags the guided deck builder uses, so a count in the builder and a search here always agree.

Syntax	Matches
`role:ramp`	Cards tagged with a deck role. Roles: land, ramp, explosive-ramp, draw, draw-engine, removal, wipe, counterspell, protection, recursion, tutor, finisher, graveyard-hate
`theme:tokens`	Cards that match a theme pattern. Tribal themes are `theme:tribe:elf`
`tag:land:tapped`	Any tag, written in full: `role:`, `theme:`, `land:` or `bracket:` followed by its value
`is:fastmana`	Fast mana (the same as `tag:bracket:fast-mana`)
`is:extraturn`	Extra-turn cards (the same as `tag:bracket:extra-turn`)
`is:tapland`	Lands that always enter tapped (the same as `tag:land:tapped`)

Land tags: basic, nonbasic, fetch, fixer, utility, tapped, conditional, untapped, mdfc. Bracket tags: game-changer, fast-mana, extra-turn, mld, tutor. An unknown role or theme is reported under the results, never silently ignored.

Every field

Each field and the other ways to write it.

Field	Also written	Example
Oracle text	`oracle:` `fo:`	`o:flying`
Type line	`type:`	`t:artifact`
Colors	`color:` `colors:`	`c:u`
Color identity	`ci:` `identity:` `commander:`	`id<=esper`
Mana value	`cmc:` `manavalue:`	`mv:1..3`
Mana cost	`mana:`	`m:{2}{r}`
Power	`power:`	`pow>=5`
Toughness	`tough:` `toughness:`	`tou<2`
Loyalty	`loyalty:`	`loy>=4`
Rarity	`rarity:`	`r:mythic`
Set	`e:` `set:` `edition:`	`s:mh3`
Set type	`settype:`	`st:commander`
Collector number	`number:` `num:`	`cn:1`
Legal in a format	`legal:` `format:`	`f:pauper`
Banned in a format	`ban:`	`banned:commander`
Restricted in a format	`restricted:`	`restricted:vintage`
Artist	`artist:`	`a:nielsen`
Flavor text	`flavor:` `flavour:`	`ft:dragon`
Keyword	`keyword:` `keywords:`	`kw:flying`
Mana produced	`produced:`	`produces:c`
Name	`name:`	`n:bolt`
Price in USD	`price:`	`usd<=5`
Price in EUR		`eur<=5`
Price in MTGO tickets		`tix<1`
Release date	`date:`	`year>=2020` or `date>=2020-06-01`
EDHREC rank	`edhrecrank:`	`edhrec<=5000`
Salt score	`saltscore:`	`salt>=2`
Deck category (from Archidekt)	`category:`	`cat:ramp`
Deck role		`role:draw`
Theme		`theme:landfall`
Card tag		`tag:bracket:game-changer`
Readable deck membership		`in:SIM`
Flags		`is:dfc`
Sort order	`sort:`	`order:edhrec`
Sort direction	`dir:`	`direction:desc`

is: also takes reprint, firstprint, new, digital, paper, mtgo, arena, foil, nonfoil, etched, permanent, spell, vanilla, doublefaced, transform, split, flip, adventure, meld, token, tutor, gc, masslanddenial and mld.

A misspelled field is ignored rather than guessed at, and the note under the results names it along with the nearest real field.

Boolean and grouping

or -- c:r or c:g (red or green)
and is the default between filters
- -- exclude. c:r -t:creature (red, but not creatures)
() -- group. (c:r or c:g) t:creature mv<=2

Quick recipes

Goal	Query
Cheap green ramp creatures	`c:g t:creature mv<=2 o:"add" o:mana`
Card draw spells in Boros (notoriously hard)	`id<=rw (t:instant or t:sorcery) o:"draw"`
Wraths that fit an Atraxa (WUBG) deck	`id<=wubg (o:"destroy all creatures" or o:"all creatures get -") t:sorcery`
Commanders that produce all five colors	`is:commander produces=wubrg`
Game Changers in green	`is:gamechanger c:g`
Cards under $1 with EDHREC rank top 5000	`usd<=1 edhrec<=5000`
Cheap ramp for a Golgari deck, no taplands	`id<=bg role:ramp mv<=2 -is:tapland`

Works on Scryfall, not here

These are Scryfall filters the search here does not understand. Typing one here is reported as an unknown field instead of being applied.

Syntax	Matches on Scryfall
`art:dragon`	Art tag includes "dragon"
`otag:ramp`	Scryfall's own oracle tags

The dashboard's local data

The TCG dashboard syncs the same legalities, keywords, produced_mana, etc. from Scryfall into Postgres. Anything the fields above can answer, the local data can answer too -- via the MCP search tools.

Source

Scryfall syntax docs: <https://scryfall.com/docs/syntax>