Thought Erasure MTG Card
2018-10-05 - Number 206
2018-10-05 - Number 206
2019-11-07 - Number 1496
2020-09-26 - Number GRN-206
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Abilities | Surveil |
Key Takeaways
- Thought Erasure offers hand disruption and strategic draw filtering with its surveil ability.
- Its dual blue and black mana cost can limit deck-building flexibility across various formats.
- Versatile in control strategies, the card remains relevant against diverse metagames and combos.
Text of card
Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. Surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put it into your graveyard.)
"It's truly the highest honor, isn't it? To be remembered? Pity for you."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With Thought Erasure, you not only get to glimpse your opponent’s hand but also disrupt their strategy by choosing a nonland card for them to discard. On top of that, the surveil 1 effect lets you filter the next draw, ensuring you stay a step ahead.
Resource Acceleration: Although Thought Erasure doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it indirectly impacts resource management by removing key pieces from your opponent’s hand, potentially slowing down their game plan and keeping the tempo in your favor.
Instant Speed: Thought Erasure’s sorcery speed requires strategic timing, but the control it offers during your turn can shape the flow of the match, allowing you to set up your defenses or prepare for an aggressive push while your opponent’s guard is down.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: This aspect of Thought Erasure implies that to utilize its effect—making an opponent discard a card—you must have a valid target. If your opponent has an empty hand, the discard utility of Thought Erasure is nullified, potentially making it a dead draw in the late game when hands are often empty.
Specific Mana Cost: Thought Erasure asks for both blue and black mana, which can be demanding in a multicolor deck and restrict its inclusion to mainly Dimir decks or those that can reliably produce both colors. This limits the flexibility when constructing your mana base and can hinder deck variety.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While providing a surveil in addition to its discard effect, Thought Erasure has a mana cost that could be considered high when compared to some other one-mana discard spells. This can affect play tempo, especially in formats where mana efficiency is critical for competitive play.
Reasons to Include Thought Erasure in Your Collection
Versatility: Thought Erasure serves a dual purpose, stripping away a nonland card from an opponent’s hand while simultaneously surveilling your own deck. This makes it a powerful tool in decks aiming to control the game’s pace and ensure your draws are optimized.
Combo Potential: By selectively discarding key pieces of your opponent’s combo while setting up your own, Thought Erasure not only disrupts but also sifts through your library to find the cards you need to execute your strategy effectively.
Meta-Relevance: With constantly shifting metagames, Thought Erasure remains a staple in formats where knowing and managing an opponent’s hand can be the difference between victory and defeat. Its presence in your collection means you’re always prepared to tackle decks that rely on specific spells and strategies.
How to beat
Thought Erasure is a notable card in Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to disrupt an opponent’s strategy. This spell allows a player to target an opponent, reveal their hand, and choose a non-land card to be discarded, followed by surveilling 1. This can offer a tactical advantage by removing key components of your opponent’s planned actions, while also helping to arrange your upcoming draws.
To effectively challenge Thought Erasure, it’s essential to have redundancy in your deck—having multiple copies of critical spells or creatures ensures that even if one is discarded, you have others available. Additionally, utilizing cards that benefit from being in the graveyard, or that can be cast or activated from the graveyard, turn the potential disadvantage into a strategic gain. Playing cards with hexproof from hand or instants that provide hand protection can also preserve your key cards from such targeted discard effects. In doing so, you not only mitigate the impact of Thought Erasure but also potentially gain card advantage over your opponent.
Ultimately, a resilient deck strategy, a keen sense of timing, and knowledge of your opponent’s potential plays are your best defenses against the disruptive power of Thought Erasure in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards like Thought Erasure
Thought Erasure stands as a defining piece in the realm of hand disruption spells in MTG. Its closest kin includes the iconic Duress, with both cards allowing players to glimpse into an opponent’s hand and strip a nonland card. Thought Erasure offers more than just the psychological edge of Duress by also whisking away a threat and surveilling 1, fine-tuning your upcoming draw.
Another notable comparison is with Inquisition of Kozilek, valued for its precision in singling out cards with converted mana cost 3 or less, yet without the added benefit of surveil. However, Thought Erasure isn’t limited by the mana cost of the target card, offering broader flexibility. Conversely, Distress targets any card but comes at a higher mana cost and doesn’t provide the strategic survey of the deck that Thought Erasure can boast.
Ultimately, Thought Erasure holds a distinguished place in MTG, successfully balancing cost, power, and additional deck manipulation. It serves not just as an efficient disruption tool but also as a means to sculpt one’s hand and future plays, marking its prominence in control decks and competitive play.
Cards similar to Thought Erasure by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Thought Erasure MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica Promos and Guilds of Ravnica, 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 Thought Erasure and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See Magic products
Printings
The Thought Erasure Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2018-10-05 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Anna Steinbauer.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018-10-05 | Guilds of Ravnica Promos | PGRN | 206 | 2015 | normal | black | Anna Steinbauer | |
| 2 | 2018-10-05 | Guilds of Ravnica | GRN | 206 | 2015 | normal | black | Anna Steinbauer | |
| 3 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1496 | 2015 | normal | black | Anna Steinbauer | |
| 4 | The List | PLST | GRN-206 | 2015 | normal | black | Anna Steinbauer |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Thought Erasure has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Thought Erasure card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-10-05 | Some spells that instruct you to surveil require targets. You can’t cast a spell without choosing legal targets. If all of those targets become illegal, the spell doesn’t resolve and you won’t surveil. |
| 2018-10-05 | When you surveil, you may put all the cards you look at back on top of your library, you may put all of those cards into your graveyard, or you may put some of those cards on top and the rest of them into your graveyard. |
| 2018-10-05 | You perform the actions stated on a card in sequence. For some spells and abilities, you’ll surveil last. For others, you’ll surveil and then perform other actions. |
| 2018-10-05 | You surveil 1 even if the opponent doesn’t discard a card, perhaps because they had no cards in hand at all. |
