---
name: "Amalia Benavides Aguirre"
mana_cost: "{W}{B}"
cmc: 2
type_line: "Legendary Creature — Vampire Scout"
colors: []
color_identity: ["B", "W"]
keywords: ["Explore", "Ward"]
set: "PLCI"
set_name: "The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Promos"
collector_number: "221p"
rarity: "rare"
artist: "Alix Branwyn"
oracle_id: "85eefda9-4aab-467d-a08c-be026cb8ff42"
canonical_url: "https://avascry.com/printing/amalia-benavides-aguirre-plci"
legalities:
  commander: "legal"
  standard: "legal"
  modern: "legal"
  pioneer: "banned"
  legacy: "legal"
  vintage: "legal"
  pauper: "not_legal"
  penny: "legal"
---

# Amalia Benavides Aguirre
- **Mana Cost:** `{W}{B}` (CMC: 2)
- **Type:** Legendary Creature — Vampire Scout
- **Keywords:** Explore, Ward

## Oracle Text
Ward—Pay 3 life.
Whenever you gain life, Amalia Benavides Aguirre explores. Then destroy all other creatures if its power is exactly 20. (To have this creature explore, reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature, then put the card back or put it into your graveyard.)

## Top 4096-Dim Neural Synergies
1. [Queen's Agent](/printing/queens-agent-xln.md) — Creature — Vampire Scout
2. [Legion Vanguard](/printing/legion-vanguard-cmm.md) — Creature — Vampire Soldier
3. [Emperor's Vanguard](/printing/emperors-vanguard-xln.md) — Creature — Human Scout
4. [Bloodbond Vampire](/printing/bloodbond-vampire-jmp.md) — Creature — Vampire Shaman Ally
5. [Seekers' Squire](/printing/seekers-squire-2x2.md) — Creature — Human Scout
6. [Kalastria Nightwatch](/printing/kalastria-nightwatch-jmp.md) — Creature — Vampire Warrior Ally

## Printing Details
- **Set:** The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Promos (PLCI) #221p
- **Rarity:** Rare
- **Artist:** Alix Branwyn
- **Total Printings:** 4 across all historical editions

## Format Legalities
Commander: `legal` | Standard: `legal` | Modern: `legal` | Pioneer: `banned` | Legacy: `legal` | Vintage: `legal` | Pauper: `not_legal` | Penny: `legal`

## Official Rulings
- *(2023-11-10)* In some unusual cases, noncreature permanents may explore. For example, if the creature card returned by Defossilize is somehow not a creature once it's on the battlefield, it can still explore. You'll take all the same actions, and you may end up putting a +1/+1 counter on the permanent. (Note that some effects target a creature, and those effects would still require a legal target to have it explore.)
- *(2023-11-10)* If a resolving spell or ability instructs a specific creature to explore but that creature has left the battlefield, the creature still explores. If you reveal a nonland card this way, you won't put a +1/+1 counter on anything, but you may put the revealed card into your graveyard. Effects that trigger "whenever a creature explores" trigger as appropriate.
- *(2023-11-10)* Once an ability that causes a creature to explore begins to resolve, no player may take any other actions until it's done. Notably, opponents can't try to remove the exploring creature after you reveal a nonland card but before it receives a counter.
- *(2023-11-10)* The instruction for Amalia Benavides Aguirre to explore and the effect that occurs if Amalia Benavides Aguirre's power is exactly 20 are all part of the same ability. Players do not get to chance to respond to the ability after knowing the result of the explore.
- *(2023-11-10)* Amalia Benavides Aguirre's power is checked only once, as the triggered ability resolves. If it is no longer on the battlefield at that point, use its power as it last existed on the battlefield.
- *(2023-11-10)* If no card is revealed, most likely because that player's library is empty, the exploring creature receives a +1/+1 counter.