Brain Weevil MTG Card

Brain Weevil’s sacrifice ability can provide significant card advantage and tempo swings. Its instant-speed utility allows for flexible disruption during critical moments of play. While powerful, Brain Weevil’s mana cost and sacrifice requirement limit its versatility.

Innistrad (ISD)
2011-09-30 - Number 91

Brain Weevil - Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari (DDJ)

Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari (DDJ)
2012-09-07 - Number 58

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number DDJ-58

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Insect
Abilities	Intimidate
Power	1
Toughness	1

Text of card

Intimidate (This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or creatures that share a color with it.) Sacrifice Brain Weevil: Target player discards two cards. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.

Cards like Brain Weevil

Brain Weevil offers a unique twist among creature cards in Magic the Gathering. Its abilities resonate with the likes of Blistergrub or the ominous Liliana’s Specter, which also trigger effects when they leave the battlefield or enter the game. Blistergrub, much like Brain Weevil, provides a means to deplete an opponent’s resources – in this case, causing life loss upon death. Liliana’s Specter, alternatively, forces a discard upon arrival, yet doesn’t offer the controlled repeatable option that Brain Weevil’s sacrifice ability permits.

Brain Weevil’s intimate tie to discarding mechanics can draw parallels to Burglar Rat or Ravenous Rats. Both creatures mandate a single card discard from opponents when they enter the battlefield. However, Brain Weevil stands out with its intimidate ability, making it harder to block by creatures not sharing its color, and its potential to initiate the discard at the most opportune moment.

Ultimately, amidst creatures that impact opponents’ hands, Brain Weevil allows for strategic plays, manipulating the battlefield and hand control in a way not many creatures can rival. Its niche, combined with custom-timed discard capabilities, position it intriguingly in the landscape of MTG creature-based disruption.

Cards similar to Brain Weevil by color, type and mana cost

Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions

Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Brain Weevil offers an indirect form of card advantage by enabling you to target and disrupt your opponent’s hand, potentially forcing them to discard two of their key cards. This disruption can shift the game in your favor, especially if timed to deplete their resources at a crucial moment.

Resource Acceleration: While Brain Weevil itself does not generate mana or tokens, its sacrifice mechanic can be synergized with cards that benefit from or trigger upon creatures dying. This interaction can lead to various forms of resource acceleration, depending on your deck’s strategy.

Instant Speed: The ability to sacrifice Brain Weevil at instant speed provides tactical flexibility. You can decide the most opportune moment during your opponent’s turn to force them to discard, possibly disrupting their planned plays or responding to on-board threats as they unfold.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Brain Weevil needs you to sacrifice it alongside paying mana to activate its ability. This requires a player to give up not just the card itself but also the investment of casting it in the first place, which can be a setback in maintaining board presence and card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes black mana, the Brain Weevil is tailored for black-aligned decks or those that can afford mana fixing. This makes it less versatile in multicolored decks that may not prioritize black mana or in formats where mana bases are less consistent.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the effect of making an opponent discard two cards can be impactful, the combined cost of four mana—two to cast and two to activate—might be considered steep, especially when alternatives exist that can disrupt an opponent’s hand for less. Other cards in the same vein may provide similar effects without the same level of investment, making them more efficient choices in a variety of situations.

Reasons to Include Brain Weevil in Your Collection

Versatility: As a card with a relatively low casting cost and an impactful sacrifice ability, Brain Weevil can easily slot into black-based control decks or strategies that capitalize on creature and graveyard interactions.

Combo Potential: The ability to force an opponent to discard two cards at instant speed makes Brain Weevil a tactical option for dismantling combo decks or disrupting hand-driven strategies right before your opponent’s turn.

Meta-Relevance: Given its potential to upend hand-centric decks, Brain Weevil may serve as a sideboard tech choice in metas where hand disruption can swing games in your favor, or in formats where reusing creatures from the graveyard is advantageous.

How to beat Brain Weevil

Brain Weevil presents a unique challenge in Magic: The Gathering. This insidious Insect functions as a discard outlet and a way to apply pressure on your opponent’s hand. With its Intimidate ability, making it harder to block, and its sacrifice ability, which forces the opponent to discard two cards, Brain Weevil can disrupt many strategies.

To effectively counteract Brain Weevil, players should consider cards that can neutralize creatures without targeting, such as sweepers like Wrath of God or global debuffs like Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite. Alternatively, utilizing cheap removal spells before the Weevil can exploit its sacrifice ability is also an efficient approach. Moreover, instant-speed interactions to remove it in response to its sacrifice activation can mitigate its potential impact on your hand. Lastly, having an ample hand size or cards that benefit from being discarded, like those with Madness or Flashback, can turn the tables on Brain Weevil’s discard strategy.

In essence, while Brain Weevil can be a thorn in the side for many decks, appropriate removal, strategic planning, and leveraging card mechanics that synergize with discard can nullify its advantages and keep you in command of the game.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Brain Weevil MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad and Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari, 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 Brain Weevil and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Brain Weevil Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2012-09-07. Illustrated by Anthony Jones.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2011-09-30	Innistrad	ISD	91	2003	Normal	Black	Anthony Jones
2	2012-09-07	Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari	DDJ	58	2003	Normal	Black	Anthony Jones
3	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	DDJ-58	2003	Normal	Black	Anthony Jones

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Brain Weevil has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-04-15	If you cast this as normal during your main phase, it will enter the battlefield and you’ll receive priority. If no abilities trigger because of this, you can activate its ability immediately, before any other player has a chance to remove it from the battlefield.