A Real Handful MTG Card


A Real Handful offers card advantage, increasing options and strategies during play. Its instant speed allows surprise plays, but requires discarding a card. While versatile, its specific mana cost can limit deck-building choices.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Alien Child Guest
Power 1
Toughness 1
Un-set :-)This card is part of an Un-set

Text of card

As long as one or more hands are touching A Real Handful, it gets +2/+2. As long as two or more hands are touching A Real Handful, it has menace. As long as three or more hands are touching A Real Handful, it has lifelink.


Cards like A Real Handful

A Real Handful is another intriguing entry into Magic: The Gathering’s arsenal of creature spells. This card reminds seasoned players of the likes of Glimpse the Unthinkable with its ability to delve into an opponent’s library. A Real Handful, however, presents a twist by allowing players to exile cards straight from the game, narrowing down an adversary’s future options. This is slightly different from Glimpse the Unthinkable’s immediate milling function that sends cards from the library to the graveyard.

Looking at other comparable cards, Hedron Crab comes to mind, with its landfall ability that triggers a milling effect. A Real Handful doesn’t rely on land drops, thereby providing a more direct and often more immediate impact on the course of a match. Tasha’s Hideous Laughter is yet another peer. It similarly exiles cards from an opponent’s deck but does so based on the total mana value of the cards revealed. This can lead to varying levels of effectiveness, while A Real Handful maintains a consistent expulsion effect. Each of these cards offers a way to disrupt the opponent, yet A Real Handful’s unique angle can be a key tactic in certain MTG strategies.

Despite the diverse methods of library manipulation available in MTG, A Real Handful holds its ground as a strategic tool, especially in formats where exiling cards can be more debilitating to an opponent than traditional milling methods.

Glimpse the Unthinkable - MTG Card versions
Hedron Crab - MTG Card versions
Tasha's Hideous Laughter - MTG Card versions
Glimpse the Unthinkable - MTG Card versions
Hedron Crab - MTG Card versions
Tasha's Hideous Laughter - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to A Real Handful by color, type and mana cost

Hell's Caretaker - MTG Card versions
Rag Man - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Debaser - MTG Card versions
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions
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Urborg Shambler - MTG Card versions
Whispering Shade - MTG Card versions
Filth - MTG Card versions
Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions
Bold Plagiarist - MTG Card versions
Dirge Bat - MTG Card versions
Toxin Sliver - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Spirit - MTG Card versions
Nim Shambler - MTG Card versions
Bad Ass - MTG Card versions
Scourge of Numai - MTG Card versions
Deathgazer - MTG Card versions
Dirty Wererat - MTG Card versions
Hell's Caretaker - MTG Card versions
Rag Man - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Debaser - MTG Card versions
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions
Slinking Skirge - MTG Card versions
Gravedigger - MTG Card versions
Scandalmonger - MTG Card versions
Urborg Shambler - MTG Card versions
Whispering Shade - MTG Card versions
Filth - MTG Card versions
Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions
Bold Plagiarist - MTG Card versions
Dirge Bat - MTG Card versions
Toxin Sliver - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Spirit - MTG Card versions
Nim Shambler - MTG Card versions
Bad Ass - MTG Card versions
Scourge of Numai - MTG Card versions
Deathgazer - MTG Card versions
Dirty Wererat - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The card A Real Handful grants you the ability to increase the number of cards at your disposal, presenting players with multiple new options and strategies during gameplay. It’s a significant benefit in any deck that thrives on having a variety of choices at any given time.

Resource Acceleration: With its ability to potentially disrupt your opponent’s resources while boosting your own, A Real Handful plays a crucial role in propelling you ahead of the competition. Enhancing your resource pool swiftly can be the turning point in a tightly contested game.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of this card provides the flexibility to react to an opponent’s actions or end-of-turn moves. This allows strategic gamers to optimize the timing of their plays, keeping opponents guessing and making A Real Handful a versatile addition to any deck.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: A Real Handful comes with a built-in downside; you must discard a card as part of its casting cost. This self-imposed card disadvantage can impede your strategy, particularly if your hand is already dwindling or the discarded card is crucial to your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires not just any mana, but a precise combination to be played effectively. The demand for particular mana types can restrict its inclusion in multi-color decks or those that may not reliably produce the necessary colors early enough to make the most of its potential.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering efficiency, the mana cost of A Real Handful is on the higher side. For the investment of such substantial resources, players often expect a more immediate or impactful effect, which puts this card at a competitive disadvantage when stacked against others in the same cost bracket.


Reasons to Include A Real Handful in Your Collection

Versatility: A Real Handful is a card that offers flexibility in various game scenarios. Its capability to impact the board can support a wide array of strategies, adapting to the changing needs during gameplay.

Combo Potential: This card holds the potential to synergize with numerous other cards, setting off powerful combinations that can turn the tide of a game. Its unique effects can be the linchpin in executing intricate and game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: In tune with the shifting dynamics of the meta, A Real Handful possesses attributes that can answer prevalent strategies. Its inclusion in a deck ensures you have a card that stays relevant, regardless of the diverse decks you face.


How to beat

A Real Handful is a unique card in MTG, often creating a complex board state by generating multiple creature tokens. To effectively counteract this card, it’s crucial to have a strategy that includes mass removal spells or cards that can negate the card’s abilities. Board wipes such as Wrath of God or Doomskar can clear the tokens A Real Handful creates. If your deck runs counterspells, be ready to use them when A Real Handful is cast, as preventing it from entering the battlefield is typically more effective than dealing with its consequences.

Alternatively, if you are unable to prevent the card’s effects, having cards that benefit from an opponent’s creature presence, like Massacre Wurm, might turn their numbers against them. Also consider enchantments that limit the number of creatures that can attack or that punish token generation, such as Ghostly Prison or Trespasser’s Curse. Careful planning and selecting the right answer from your sideboard can make all the difference when facing off against the challenges that A Real Handful brings to the game.

Ultimately, knowing your deck and foreseeing your opponent’s moves are key. While A Real Handful can seem daunting, a well-prepared player with a versatile deck can navigate around it and emerge victorious.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase A Real Handful MTG card by a specific set like Unfinity and Unfinity, 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 A Real Handful and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The A Real Handful Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2022-10-07 and 2022-10-07. Illustrated by Tomek Larek.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12022-10-07UnfinityUNF 3732015NormalBlackTomek Larek
22022-10-07UnfinityUNF 872015NormalBlackTomek Larek

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2022-10-07 Bonuses will turn on and off as the number of hands touching A Real Handful changes. Touching A Real Handful isn’t a game action, so it doesn’t use the stack. You can just do it at any time.
2022-10-07 Generally, only hands attached to humans count for these abilities. Hands of cards don’t count, nor do hands of clocks, hands of dolls, and so on. Every hand that touches A Real Handful must do so willingly.
2022-10-07 Lifelink matters only as damage is dealt.
2022-10-07 Menace matters only as blockers are being declared. If A Real Handful doesn’t have menace and is blocked by one creature, giving it menace won’t change or undo that block.
2022-10-07 Pay attention to whether the +2/+2 bonus is applying or not. Damage can suddenly become lethal if A Real Handful loses the bonus after damage has been dealt to it.
2022-10-07 The same hand can be touching multiple A Real Handfuls at the same time.