Appetite for Brains MTG Card
2012-05-04 - Number 84
2016-02-26 - Number 51
2018-12-07 - Number 83
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Sorcery |
Text of card
Target opponent reveals his or her hand. You choose a card from it with converted mana cost 4 or greater and exile that card.
Just as with a peach, the first bite is always the juiciest.
Cards like Appetite for Brains
Appetite for Brains is a unique disruption tool available to players seeking to peek into opponents’ hands and remove a threat before it hits the battlefield. Its closest rivals in disrupting opponent’s strategies are cards like Duress and Thoughtseize. While Duress allows players to target non-creature non-land cards and Thoughtseize can target any card at the expense of 2 life, Appetite for Brains zeroes in on cards with a converted mana cost of 4 or greater.
Speaking of impact and efficiency, Inquisition of Kozilek also serves a similar function but with a different threshold, hitting cards with converted mana cost 3 or less. It’s a lower cost trade-off in comparison to Appetite for Brains’ specificity for bigger threats. Distress is another card that permits players to see the opponent’s entire hand, offering a choice in what to discard unlike the automatic selection of Appetite for Brains based on the card’s mana value.
In sum, Appetite for Brains finds its place among Magic’s hand disruption spells with a surgical approach to removing large-scale threats, making it a potentially game-swinging card against decks that rely heavily on high-cost creatures and spells.
Cards similar to Appetite for Brains by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Appetite for Brains may not directly draw you cards, it strategically disrupts your opponent’s plans by removing a powerful card from their hand. This preemptive action can lead to gaining advantage on the board as your opponent loses access to key strategies.
Resource Acceleration: This card doesn’t ramp up your mana. However, by targeting and exiling an impactful card costing 4 or more from an opponent’s hand, you effectively accelerate your position in the game. You do so by ensuring that upcoming turns are safer and potentially less threatening, which indirectly boosts your resources available for strategic plays.
Instant Speed: Appetite for Brains is a sorcery; thus, it isn’t played at instant speed. Nevertheless, its strategic use during your turn can feel as impactful as an instant by preemptively removing threats before they can be cast, thereby hindering an opponent’s instant-speed responses or end-of-turn plays.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Appetite for Brains imposes a strategic downside as it limits its utility to non-creature spells. Players must meticulously consider their timing when playing this card to ensure they don’t waste its potential on an opponent with a hand devoid of the targeted spell type.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a single black mana to cast, which may not seamlessly fit into multicolored decks. This specificity can hinder players who operate within a diverse mana base and reduce the card’s versatility across multiple deck types.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although it costs only one black mana, Appetite for Brains selectively targets cards with a mana value of four or greater. This restriction can be problematic in metagames dominated by low-cost spells, leaving the card idle in the player’s hand or forcing it to be cast for minimal impact.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Appetite for Brains is an efficient addition to sideboards in decks that face off against opponents with high-cost spells. It’s not limited to just one type of deck and shines in various strategies that aim to disrupt the opponent’s game plan early on.
Combo Potential: It also offers combo potential in scenarios where knowing the contents of an opponent’s hand can be leveraged with other cards or strategies that punish certain kinds of cards, enhancing synergistic deck builds that thrive on information and precision.
Meta-Relevance: In metas dominated by powerhouse spells and creatures, Appetite for Brains becomes an essential tool. It uniquely targets and exiles key cards with converted mana costs of 4 or greater, which can give you an edge against ramp strategies or decks reliant on high-impact plays.
How to beat
Appetite for Brains is a unique disruption tool in Magic: The Gathering that targets an opponent’s hand. The card’s ability to pluck a high-cost threat from a player’s grip before it hits the board can be a strategic move in the early game. Unlike Duress or Thoughtseize, which allow players to select from nonland cards of any cost, Appetite for Brains specifically zones in on cards with converted mana cost 4 or greater, making it a highly specialized form of hand disruption.
To gain the upper hand against Appetite for Brains, it’s beneficial to diversify your deck with a mix of low and high-cost spells. Relying less on expensive spells can reduce the impact of this targeted discard, with balance being key. Cards with undying or persist mechanisms can also be advantageous since they can come back from the graveyard, rendering the initial discard less impactful. Additionally, leveraging instants that can be cast in response or cards with flash can help keep your strategy fluid and less susceptible to being dismantled by a single Appetite for Brains.
Understanding the nuances of hand disruption tactics and preparing your deck accordingly can be the deciding factor in emerging victorious in an MTG duel where Appetite for Brains is at play.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Appetite for Brains MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored and Duel Decks: Blessed vs. Cursed, 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 Appetite for Brains and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Appetite for Brains Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2012-05-04 and 2018-12-07. Illustrated by Michael C. Hayes.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012-05-04 | Avacyn Restored | AVR | 84 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Michael C. Hayes | |
| 2 | 2016-02-26 | Duel Decks: Blessed vs. Cursed | DDQ | 51 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Michael C. Hayes | |
| 3 | 2018-12-07 | Ultimate Masters | UMA | 83 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Michael C. Hayes |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Appetite for Brains has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Appetite for Brains card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-12-07 | If a card in a player’s hand has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0. |