Mind Ravel MTG Card

Ice Age (ICE)
1995-06-03 - Number 147

Fifth Edition (5ED)
1997-03-24 - Number 176

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery

Key Takeaways

Delivers tactical hand disruption and card draw, potentially tilting game momentum in your favor.
Instant speed casting provides flexibility, maximizing mana use and strategic surprise.
Challenges include specific mana cost, higher casting expense, and less impact when not a sorcery.

Text of card

Target player chooses and discards a card from his or her hand. Ignore this ability if that player has no cards in hand. Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.

An end to reason, an end to order. Forget all that has been.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mind Ravel presents a pathway to disrupt your opponent’s hand while you draw a card. Slicing through your opponent’s strategy and simultaneously refilling your hand is a crafty move that shifts the momentum in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although Mind Ravel doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, forcing an opponent to discard can indirectly provide a tempo boost. Slowing them down can be as advantageous as speeding yourself up, setting the stage for you to outpace their resources and actions.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Mind Ravel at instant speed is a subtle yet powerful feature. This flexibility allows you to keep up the pressure during your opponent’s end step, ensuring you maximize your mana and options every turn without sacrificing the element of surprise.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When you cast Mind Ravel, the opponent is forced to discard a card, but only when it’s played as a sorcery. This timing can be less impactful than instant-speed discard effects, failing to disrupt the opponent’s strategy at key moments during their turn.

Specific Mana Cost: Mind Ravel’s mana cost is only black, which while advantageous in mono-black builds can be a drawback in multicolored decks. Balancing the mana base to consistently cast Mind Ravel on curve can be challenging when working with a more diverse color palette.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring three mana, Mind Ravel is costlier when compared to other discard spells in the MTG universe. Players often prefer spells like Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek for their lower mana cost, leaving Mind Ravel less competitive in environments where mana efficiency is key.

Reasons to Include Mind Ravel in Your Collection

Versatility: Mind Ravel offers a flexible role in black-focused decks aimed at disrupting opponent strategies. It not only forces discard, which can be crucial against hand-crafted strategies, but it also slots well into black’s theme of resource denial.

Combo Potential: The card shines in combos that capitalize on opponent’s discards. Pairing it with cards that punish discards or benefit from an opponent’s reduced hand size can create devastating effects and turn the tide in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where hand quality is king, Mind Ravel provides a cost-effective way to chip away at the enemy’s resources. In a game where information and choices are paramount, forcing an opponent to lose options can lead to a significant advantage.

How to beat

Mind Ravel, designed to disrupt your opponent by forcing a discard, can turn the tides of a Magic: The Gathering match. Encountering this card on the battlefield means you need a strategy to counteract its effects. An efficient way to outplay Mind Ravel is by maintaining a hand size that mitigates the impact of discard effects. Having cards that draw additional cards or spells that can be played from the graveyard can significantly reduce the setback caused by Mind Ravel.

Cards with madness or flashback, like Fiery Temper or Lingering Souls, offer value even when discarded. Additionally, utilizing spells that can be cast at instant speed ensures your mana isn’t wasted if you’re forced to discard during your own turn. Tapping into decks built around graveyard strategies can also turn a discard disadvantage into a setup for a stronger offensive. It’s essential to consider the tempo of your play and be prepared with responsive tactics to effectively render Mind Ravel’s influence negligible.

Ultimately, by being proactive and adapting your strategy, you can ensure that Mind Ravel’s attempt to unravel your game plan only weaves a stronger narrative for your victory in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards like Mind Ravel

Mind Ravel offers players in Magic: The Gathering a tactical edge in the war of attrition that occurs in many matches. This card sits favourably among others that force an opponent to discard cards. Hymn to Tourach, for instance, also mandates the opponent to discard two cards at random, making it a powerful choice for disrupting the opposition’s strategies. Though it doesn’t offer the draw ability that Mind Ravel provides when played with its kicker cost.

Another analogous piece is Duress, which allows for a peek into the adversary’s hand and targets noncreature, nonland cards for discard. While Duress is narrower in purpose, its lower mana cost makes it a strategic early-game play. Conversely, Raven’s Crime manifests a repeatable discard mechanism via its retrace ability, allowing players to cast it multiple times if the circumstances are right.

Ultimately, while cards like Hymn to Tourach may have a higher immediate impact, Mind Ravel’s drawing capability when kicked ensures that it can help maintain card advantage as well as disrupt. Its versatility in either early or late-game scenarios places it in a balanced position amongst its peers in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Mind Ravel by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mind Ravel MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Fifth Edition, 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 Mind Ravel and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mind Ravel Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 1997-03-24. Illustrated by Mark Tedin.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1995-06-03	Ice Age	ICE		147	1993	Normal	Black	Mark Tedin
2	1997-03-24	Fifth Edition	5ED		176	1997	Normal	White	Mark Tedin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mind Ravel has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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