Ashiok's Adept MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human Wizard
Abilities	Heroic
Released	2014-02-07
Set symbol
Set name	Born of the Gods
Set code	BNG
Power	1
Toughness	3
Number	59
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Karla Ortiz

Key Takeaways

Harasses opponents by forcing discards, influencing control of the game’s flow and resources.
Requires targeted spells for activation, posing a conditional use that can limit consistency.
While costly for its stats, its synergy and meta impact in discard-focused decks are notable.

Text of card

Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets Ashiok's Adept, each opponent discards a card.

"Every nightmare is a caged bird that yearns to be set free." —Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Ashiok’s Adept, each time it becomes the target of a spell or ability, your opponent discards a card. This not only disrupts your opponent’s hand but can also work to your advantage by potentially reducing their options, allowing you to control the game more effectively.

Resource Acceleration: Although Ashiok’s Adept on its own does not accelerate your resources, its ability to force discard indirectly accelerates your resources by hampering the opponent’s resources. Pairing it with cards that capitalize on discarding, like waste not, turns your opponent’s losses into your gains, often leading to mana acceleration.

Instant Speed: While Ashiok’s Adept is a creature card that doesn’t operate at instant speed itself, its ability to trigger upon being targeted can be leveraged at instant speed. Combine it with instant speed spells or abilities that target your own creatures for a surprise disruption during your opponent’s turn, thereby potentially upsetting their strategies.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Ashiok’s Adept requires a triggered condition that forces an opponent to discard to leverage its ability. In situations where you cannot trigger the discard event, the card may lack impact, making it somewhat unreliable when you’re trying to establish board control or apply pressure.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of Ashiok’s Adept includes both generic and specific mana, which can make it a challenge to cast in multicolored decks. The necessity for black mana sources means it might not always align with your mana base, particularly early in the game when mana fixing is crucial for maintaining tempo.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including double black, Ashiok’s Adept is a bit pricey for its 1/3 stats. In many scenarios within the current game meta, players might opt for cards with a lower mana cost that offer more immediate effects or higher stats, thereby improving their board state more efficiently.

Reasons to Include Ashiok’s Adept in Your Collection

Versatility: Ashiok’s Adept is a useful card in decks that manipulate discard strategies, seamlessly integrating into various control and disruption archetypes.

Combo Potential: Working in tandem with spells and abilities that force opponents to discard, this card ensures that every discard triggers a disruptive ability, potentially clearing the way for your victory.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where hand advantage is critical, Ashiok’s Adept can serve as a counter to decks that rely heavily on hand resources, tipping the scales in your favor.

How to beat

Ashiok’s Adept poses a unique challenge on the battlefield. This MTG card targets your hand with its Heroic ability, causing you to discard a card whenever a spell targets Ashiok’s Adept. Facing this card, it’s essential to limit the opportunities for your opponent to target it with spells, minimizing your hand’s vulnerability.

Strategically, it’s advisable to deal with Ashiok’s Adept quickly, using removal spells that don’t target or by overwhelming the board with creatures to apply pressure. Instant-speed removal that can be used on your own turn helps to circumvent triggering its Heroic ability. Alternatively, cards that force a player to sacrifice a creature can be particularly effective, as they do not target and thus will not trigger the discard effect.

Remaining aware of the current board state and having a plan for Ashiok’s Adept is critical, as letting it remain unchecked can severely impact your game plan. By focusing on non-targeted removals or overwhelming the card with superior board presence, you can nullify its potential to disrupt your strategy and maintain control of the match.

Cards like Ashiok's Adept

Ashiok’s Adept holds a unique space in MTG as a creature that spotlights the synergy between hand disruption and creature abilities. In the landscape of cards with a knack for mandating opponents to discard, Liliana’s Specter comes to mind, sharing the same mana cost with an immediate discard-trigger upon entering the battlefield, yet it lacks the repeatability found in Ashiok’s Adept.

Another notable card for comparison is Cunning Lethemancer. Though it requires a steeper mana investment, it guarantees a discard each upkeep, offering a recurring effect without needing to be targeted by spells or abilities as Ashiok’s Adept does. Miasmic Mummy, while lower in mana cost and providing a similar effect, prompts both players to discard when it comes into play, which can be a drawback compared to the one-sided disruption of Ashiok’s Adept.

While Ashiok’s Adept may not have the immediate impact of some of its cousins, the card shines in scenarios that involve targeting it with spells or abilities, allowing for consistent and repeatable discard triggers that can severely hinder an opponent’s strategy over the course of a game.

Cards similar to Ashiok's Adept by color, type and mana cost

Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ashiok's Adept MTG card by a specific set like Born of the Gods, 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 Ashiok's Adept and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ashiok's Adept has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-09-15	Heroic abilities will resolve before the spell that caused them to trigger.
2013-09-15	Heroic abilities will trigger only once per spell, even if that spell targets the creature with the heroic ability multiple times.
2013-09-15	Heroic abilities won’t trigger when a copy of a spell is created on the stack or when a spell’s targets are changed to include a creature with a heroic ability.