How does Blood Scrivener work if I "draw 2 cards"?

Question

If you would draw a card while you have no cards in hand, instead draw two cards and lose 1 life.

If I cast Divination as my last card, how many total cards do I draw?

ikegami · Accepted Answer · 2013-10-22 01:09:27Z

7

You draw three cards and lose one life.

"Draw two cards" means "Draw one card. Draw one card."^{[CR 120.2]}

For the first draw, Blood Scrivener's replacement effect would kick in^[1]. You draw two cards and lose one life instead.

For the second draw, Blood Scrivener's replacement effect would not kick in because you have two cards in your hand^[2].

Referenced Rules

120.2. Cards may only be drawn one at a time. If a player is instructed to draw multiple cards, that player performs that many individual card draws.

Notes

Divination was the last card in your hand, and it moved from there to the stack when you started casting it.
Assuming you had at least one card left in your library. If you didn't, you'd lose another life. This isn't likely to matter, as you would normally lose immediately after the spell finishes resolving anyway.

answered Oct 19, 2013 at 20:13

ikegami

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1

Also, important to note: Blood Scrivener's replacement effect also effectively reads 'Draw one card. Draw one card.' What keeps it from recursing forever is Rule 614.5: "A replacement effect doesn't invoke itself repeatedly; it gets only one opportunity to affect an event or any modified events that may replace it."
– Steven Stadnicki
Oct 21, 2013 at 23:09
1

(Also also, I was skeptical that you would lose another life for the second card draw of Divination, but this is correct: "120.6a An effect that replaces a card draw is applied even if no cards could be drawn because there are no cards in the affected player's library. ". But this only happens if there were zero cards in your library, not just less than two; if there were one, you'd draw it and then the Blood Scrivener replacement ability wouldn't kick in for the second Divination draw.)
– Steven Stadnicki
Oct 21, 2013 at 23:12
@Steven Stadnicki, oops, yes.
– ikegami
Oct 22, 2013 at 1:20
@StevenStadnicki It's not an "intervening if" kind of thing. See the Oracle rulings. So drawing 2 cards with two Scriveners in play = 4 cards and -2 life.
– Alex P
Nov 26, 2013 at 0:14
@StevenStadnicki Weren't you previously talking about Divination plus two Scriveners? (Hence the extra card vs. just the "Draw a card plus two Scriveners" example.)
– Alex P
Nov 26, 2013 at 1:18

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