Mindleecher MTG Card


Card advantage gained through Mindleecher can tip the scales by accessing an opponent’s deck. Instant speed mutate adds flexibility to gameplay, disrupting the opponent’s strategy. Despite a higher mana cost, its potential to evolve gameplay makes it a valuable asset.
Mindleecher - Commander 2020
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Nightmare
Abilities Flying,Mutate
Released2020-04-17
Set symbol
Set nameCommander 2020
Set codeC20
Power 5
Toughness 5
Number44
Frame2015
LayoutMutate
BorderBlack
Illustred byAntonio José Manzanedo

Text of card

Mutate (If you cast this spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities from under it.) Flying Whenever this creature mutates, exile the top card of each opponent's library face down. You may look at and play those cards for as long as they remain exiled.


Cards like Mindleecher

Mindleecher stands as a unique creature in Magic: The Gathering with its ability to sneak and take advantage of opponents’ cards directly off the top of their libraries. It’s reminiscent of Nightveil Specter, which similarly allows you to play with cards exiled from your opponent’s library, offering a strategic advantage by utilizing their resources against them. However, Mindleecher brings a morphing twist—remaining hidden until the right moment to reveal and exploit the opponent’s strategy.

Another comparable card is Gonti, Lord of Luxury, which exiles an opponent’s card and lets you use it regardless of color identity, though it’s limited to just one card. Mindleecher potentially offers a broader reach, accessing more cards over time. Yet, Gonti doesn’t require a morph cost, making it a more straightforward option. Additionally, cards like Thief of Sanity carve out a niche for themselves by granting card picks from the opponent’s deck after dealing combat damage and providing options on what to cast.

While examining the mechanics and utility of various theft-focused cards in Magic: The Gathering, Mindleecher presents a creative and potentially more disrupting approach to harnessing your opponent’s spells, situating it uniquely in strategic deck builds that capitalize on cunning and surprise.

Nightveil Specter - MTG Card versions
Gonti, Lord of Luxury - MTG Card versions
Thief of Sanity - MTG Card versions
Nightveil Specter - MTG Card versions
Gonti, Lord of Luxury - MTG Card versions
Thief of Sanity - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Mindleecher by color, type and mana cost

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Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Demonic Hordes - MTG Card versions
Ihsan's Shade - MTG Card versions
Necrosavant - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Lancer - MTG Card versions
Face of Fear - MTG Card versions
Wire Surgeons - MTG Card versions
Grave Titan - MTG Card versions
Chittering Harvester - MTG Card versions
Crossway Troublemakers - MTG Card versions
Anurid Murkdiver - MTG Card versions
Gempalm Polluter - MTG Card versions
Nefashu - MTG Card versions
Twisted Abomination - MTG Card versions
Iname, Death Aspect - MTG Card versions
Deathcurse Ogre - MTG Card versions
Yawgmoth Demon - MTG Card versions
Ascendant Evincar - MTG Card versions
Bog Hoodlums - MTG Card versions
Helldozer - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mindleecher’s ability to exile the top card of an opponent’s library and play it ourselves can lead to a significant card advantage. The benefit here is two-fold; it provides access to potential threats or answers from your opponent’s deck, while simultaneously denying them the resource.

Resource Acceleration: By utilizing cards from your opponent’s library, Mindleecher effectively accelerates your resource pool without expending your own cards. This form of acceleration can be pivotal in longer games where every card counts.

Instant Speed: Thanks to its mutate ability, Mindleecher can be played at instant speed, allowing for a high level of strategic flexibility. You can wait until just the right moment to mutate and potentially disrupt your opponent’s plans, making it a versatile card in many situations.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Mindleecher in your deck demands a card from your hand as part of the Mutate cost. This requirement can be particularly taxing when your hand is already short on cards, potentially putting you at a disadvantage if you can’t maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Mindleecher comes with a specific combination of mana costs that includes black. This can restrict deck-building options as it necessitates a commitment to black mana. This is not always ideal for players who prefer a more flexible mana base to include a wider variety of spells.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total casting cost that leans on the higher side, Mindleecher can be a costly investment, especially when compared to other creatures that might provide more immediate impact on the game state. Its Mutate cost, while slightly less, still requires a significant mana investment, which can delay your other plays.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mindleecher offers a unique flexibility to adapt to various play styles, acting as both a flying menace and an information gatherer. With its ability to access the top card of an opponent’s library, it can seamlessly fit into control or aggressive strategies alike.

Combo Potential: Its synergy with various strategies that rely on manipulating opponents’ hands and libraries cannot be overstated. Coupled with cards that allow you to cast spells from exile, Mindleecher’s potential to exploit opponents’ resources dramatically increases.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where knowledge is power, Mindleecher finds its place by offering strategic advantage. Particularly effective in a meta with predictable top-tier decks, it allows you to turn the tables by using the opponents’ own tactics against them.


How to Beat Mindleecher

Mindleecher is a formidable creature card in MTG that can wreak havoc by exiling the top card of your opponent’s library and granting you the ability to play it. This spectral nightmarish bat at five mana – particularly when mutated – represents a significant threat by potentially depriving your opponent of crucial resources and giving you additional plays.

To effectively counter Mindleecher, timing is key. Playing instant-speed removal like Heartless Act or Swift End in response to the mutation trigger can neutralize the threat before it takes effect. Graveyard interaction spells, such as Scavenging Ooze, can also be excellent strategic moves, as they can target the cards exiled by Mindleecher, denying your opponent the chance to capitalize on them. Moreover, maximizing your deck’s resilience against such indirect strategies, such as including redundant copies of key cards or employing graveyard recursion effects, can mitigate the damage caused by Mindleecher’s ability to disrupt your game plan.

In summary, facing a Mindleecher calls for preemptive action and a careful choice of responsive spells tailored to disrupt the opponent’s strategy. By addressing the threat directly or indirectly, you can maintain control and diminish the impact of this potent card.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the art of MTG often revolves around utilizing unique cards like Mindleecher to gain an upper hand. With its strategic advantages and ability to disrupt your opponent’s deck strategically, it can be a game-changer in longer matchups. Mindleecher’s flexibility and adaptability make it a candidate for inclusion in many decks that aim to leverage opponent’s resources. Whether for its potential to mutate at instant speed or its card advantage capabilities, adding Mindleecher to your lineup can open up new dimensions of play. For insights on optimal use and strategic deck inclusion, continue your journey with us and enrich your MTG expertise.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mindleecher MTG card by a specific set like Commander 2020, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Mindleecher and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mindleecher has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Mindleecher card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2020-04-17 Casting the card causes it to leave exile. You can’t cast it multiple times.
2020-04-17 In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, any spells or permanents you control from Mindleecher are exiled, and any cards remaining in exile remain face down indefinitely. No player may look at them.
2020-04-17 Mindleecher doesn’t change when you can cast the exiled cards. For example, if you exile a creature card without flash, you can cast it only during your main phase when the stack is empty.
2020-04-17 You can play lands this way only if you have remaining land plays available for the turn.
2020-04-17 You may look at and play those cards even if Mindleecher leaves the battlefield. If another player gains control of Mindleecher, that player can’t look at or play the cards, and you still can.
2020-04-17 You pay the costs for the exiled cards if you cast them. You may pay alternative costs such as mutate rather than a card’s mana cost.