Arvinox, the Mind Flail MTG Card

Arvinox, the Mind Flail - Secret Lair Drop

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	7
Rarity	Mythic
Type	Legendary Enchantment Creature — Horror
Released	2019-12-02
Set symbol
Set name	Secret Lair Drop
Set code	SLD
Power	9
Toughness	9
Number	340
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Isis

Key Takeaways

Arvinox provides card advantage and can tip the balance of the game by replenishing your hand.
Instant playability enhances strategic plays, maintaining mana for responses to opponents’ moves.
Resource acceleration aids in casting powerful spells early, putting opponents on the back foot.

Text of card

Arvinox, the Mind Flail isn't a creature unless you control three or more permanents you don't own. At the beginning of your end step, exile the bottom card of each opponent's library face down. For as long as those cards remain exiled, you may look at them, you may cast permanent spells from among them, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast those spells.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Arvinox, the Mind Flail is a potent MTG card that provides an edge by offering card advantage. Deploying Arvinox allows players to draw additional cards, potentially turning the tide of the game by providing more options and responses.

Resource Acceleration: This card excels at boosting your resources. Casting Arvinox can accelerate your mana availability, enabling you to cast high-impact spells sooner than usual. Resource acceleration is a key to outpacing opponents in MTG.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Arvinox at instant speed is invaluable. It allows for strategic flexibility, as players can wait to assess the optimal moment to cast it, such as during an opponent’s end phase or in response to an action, all while keeping mana available for other critical plays.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unleashing Arvinox, the Mind Flail’s potential means parting with a precious card from your hand. In the heat of battle, this tactic can lead you to deplete your vital resources too quickly, leaving you in a pinch if you can’t maintain a decent hand size.

Specific Mana Cost: Harnessing Arvinox’s power on the battlefield requires a very particular blend of mana, including both blue and black. This necessity can potentially restrict the card’s synergy in decks not tailored to this color combination, thereby limiting the versatility in various MTG deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Games can pivot on efficient mana spending, and Arvinox enters the fray demanding a sizable amount of mana. For its cost, other cards might offer similar or heightened impact without the same resource investment, providing perhaps a more cost-effective alternative for deck efficiency.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Arvinox, the Mind Flail is a dynamic addition to any deck looking to capitalize on both disruption and card advantage. This powerful card offers strategic depth, fitting neatly into variations of control or combo decks where psychological tactics play a key role.

Combo Potential: Through its ability to peek into opponents’ hands and force discards, Arvinox can synergize with strategies that benefit from knowing the contents of opponents’ hands or that gain advantages from opponents discarding cards, broadening its utility in various game situations.

Meta-Relevance: Its disruptive abilities make Arvinox, the Mind Flail relevant in a meta where hand disruption can significantly hamper opponents’ plans, making it a valuable tool against decks that hinge on specific combos or high-value cards for their success.

How to beat

Arvinox, the Mind Flail is the type of MTG card that can dominate the battlefield with its powerful abilities. To strategize against it, a keen understanding of its mechanics is crucial. Since Arvinox can dictate the way players draw cards, an approach to counteract this is to utilize spells and abilities that don’t depend on the draw phase. Focus on cards that play directly from the library or utilize graveyard retrieval to circumvent Arvinox’s disruptive influence.

Removal is also key against Arvinox, the Mind Flail. Prioritize instants that can eliminate threats at the right moment, or better yet, exile effects to prevent any form of retrieval from the graveyard. This card’s strength lies in how it can pressure an opponent’s hand and deck; hence, including cards that grant you hexproof will shield you from such targeted disruption.

Ultimately, the goal is to minimize Arvinox, the Mind Flail’s impact on your gameplay and adapt your strategies accordingly. Having a diverse set of answers and utilizing cards that operate from zones of play other than your hand will preserve your tactics and leave Arvinox with fewer opportunities to wreak havoc on your game plan.

Cards like Arvinox, the Mind Flail

Arvinox, the Mind Flail introduces a unique dynamic to the realm of creature cards in MTG. Its abilities align slightly with those of Nekusar, the Mindrazer in that both cards create disadvantages for your opponents when they draw cards. Arvinox, however, leans more into the punishment aspect by having opponents lose life whenever they draw, whereas Nekusar also gives them damage for discards, with a slight edge on affecting all opponents equally.

In contrast, Underworld Dreams shares a more direct similarity with Arvinox’s punishing draw ability, penalizing players with life loss each time they draw. Unlike Arvinox, this enchantment isn’t a creature but it’s constant and it affects all opponents. Kederekt Parasite requires you to have a red permanent to enact similar damage on draws but is smaller in scale being a singular low-cost creature. What sets Arvinox apart is its combination of creature threat with life-depletion based on card draw, offering both board presence and a strategic advantage.

Assessing their capabilities against each other, Arvinox, the Mind Flail definitely brings a competitive edge for players who prefer an aggressive control strategy, making it a noteworthy card for those looking to employ attrition tactics in their games.

Nekusar, the Mindrazer - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Arvinox, the Mind Flail by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Arvinox, the Mind Flail MTG card by a specific set like Secret Lair Drop, 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 Arvinox, the Mind Flail and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Arvinox, the Mind Flail has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal