Look at the top three cards of your library, then put them back in any order. You may shuffle.
Draw a card.
Ponder is one of the best one-mana cantrips in blue, and at #145 it's basically an auto-include in any deck that cares about consistency. For a single blue mana, you get to sculpt your next three draws and replace the card you spent — meaning it cycles itself while smoothing your topdecks.
The real value is the shuffle clause. Pair Ponder with fetchlands or any other shuffle effect and it becomes a true library dig, but even without that it fixes mana screw/flood and sets up your next turn. It's premium fuel for:
- Spellslinger/storm decks chaining cheap spells and triggering prowess/Young Pyromancer effects
- Combo/cEDH decks digging for specific pieces
- Any control shell wanting cheap card selection
When NOT to play it: it doesn't generate card advantage (one-for-one), so grindy, slower battlecruiser decks often prefer Divination-style draw or value engines. If your deck doesn't lean on cheap interaction, low curves, or combo, Ponder underwhelms.
If you choose to shuffle your library, that includes the three cards you just looked at and put back on top of it.
