Hostile Negotiations MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Drawing three cards adds advantage while pressuring opponents with potential overdraw.
  2. Random discard accelerates resources, impacting graveyard plays and mana.
  3. Instant speed allows strategic flexibility, catching opponents off-guard.

Text of card

Exile the top three cards of your library in a face-down pile, then exile the top three cards of your library in another face-down pile. Look at the cards in each pile, then turn a pile of your choice face up. An opponent chooses one of those piles. Put all cards in the chosen pile into your hand and the rest into your graveyard. You lose 3 life.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Hostile Negotiations confers a significant edge by compelling both players to draw three cards. This exchange not only replenishes your hand but can also disrupt your opponent’s strategy by overloading their hand and potentially causing a discard.

Resource Acceleration: This card cleverly doubles as a resource accelerator. In contrast to other draw spells, Hostile Negotiations asks each player to discard a card at random after the draw, which can inadvertently ramp you into advantageous positions depending on the discarded cards. This can lead to unexpected mana gains or synergistic interactions in the graveyard.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of Hostile Negotiations offers tactical flexibility. It allows players to wait until the most opportune moment during the opponent’s end step or in response to actions that may cause the opponent to commit resources prematurely—a strategic depth that sorcery speed cannot match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Hostile Negotiations forces a discard from your hand upon casting. In tight situations where every card counts, this prerequisite can put you at a disadvantage, especially if you need to maintain a particular card advantage to execute your strategy effectively.

Specific Mana Cost: Demanding one black and one red mana, this card requires a commitment to a Rakdos color identity or a mana base that can reliably produce both colors. For players running multicolor decks without these specific hues, Hostile Negotiations becomes a less practical inclusion.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing a total of four mana to enact its effect—two of which are color-specific—makes Hostile Negotiations a bit cumbersome when compared to other hand disruption or damage-dealing options in the game. There are alternative cards that disrupt or damage at a lower mana value, which might offer a more economical use of your resources while still advancing your board state or hampering your opponent’s.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Hostile Negotiations offers a unique mix of utility and disruption, making it a flexible card that can slot into various deck types. This card can adapt to multiple play styles while serving as both a disruption tool and a card advantage engine.

Combo Potential: With Hostile Negotiations, the ability to disrupt an opponent’s hand while refueling your own offers multiple synergies in decks geared towards discard strategies or those looking to benefit from card draw.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment with a heavy emphasis on hand resources and strategy execution, Hostile Negotiations shines by unsettling opponents’ plans and tilting the scales in your favor with its dual functionality.


How to Beat Hostile Negotiations

Hostile Negotiations is an intriguing MTG card that can disrupt an opponent’s game plan, making it a worthy subject of strategy discussions. While powerful, there are ways to thwart its impact on the game. Keeping a diverse hand is one key strategy, ensuring that sacrificing a card won’t critically hinder your gameplay. Also, having instant speed removal or counterspells ready to go can neutralize the card before its effects become a problem.

Deck building also plays a crucial role in combating Hostile Negotiations. Incorporating cards that allow you to draw or cycle can mitigate the loss of card advantage. In addition, running cards that benefit from being in the graveyard can turn the supposed downside into an unforeseen advantage. Playing creatures with indestructible or hexproof can also render Hostile Negotiations ineffective by limiting viable targets.

Evaluating the metagame and anticipating potential matchups will further prepare players facing Hostile Negotiations. By adjusting strategies accordingly, this card can be overcome, maintaining the balance of play and keeping the upper hand.


Cards like Hostile Negotiations

The world of Magic: The Gathering constantly evolves, introducing cards like Hostile Negotiations. This card allows players to force an exchange with an opponent, trading precious resources in the midst of battle. When considering counterparts, one might look at the notorious card, Gilded Drake. Both cards embody the concept of exchange but differ significantly in execution. Gilded Drake swaps control permanently without an option for the opponent, whereas Hostile Negotiations gives both players a say, thus putting it in a unique strategic position.

Further exploring the theme of exchange, we come across Switcheroo – a spell with a similar function but a singular focus on creatures. In contrast, Hostile Negotiations offers a broader spectrum, potentially impacting different card types. It’s the versatility that distinguishes it from the creature-centric Switcheroo. Then there is Cultural Exchange, another notable parallel, which enables a more extensive switch of creature ownership without targeting restrictions, offering a different scale of game impact.

Assessing these alternatives highlights the tactical depth within Magic: The Gathering. Hostile Negotiations stands out by providing a flexible tool in the trading arsenal that caters to versatile game plans and surprise element, especially critical when the tides of battle can pivot on a single exchanged card.

Gilded Drake - MTG Card versions
Switcheroo - MTG Card versions
Cultural Exchange - MTG Card versions
Gilded Drake - MTG Card versions
Switcheroo - MTG Card versions
Cultural Exchange - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Hostile Negotiations by color, type and mana cost

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Sewers of Estark - MTG Card versions
Feast or Famine - MTG Card versions
Slaughter - MTG Card versions
Nocturnal Raid - MTG Card versions
Psychotic Haze - MTG Card versions
Hagra Mauling // Hagra Broodpit - MTG Card versions
Death Pulse - MTG Card versions
Burden of Greed - MTG Card versions
Hideous Laughter - MTG Card versions
When Fluffy Bunnies Attack - MTG Card versions
Chill to the Bone - MTG Card versions
Ravenous Trap - MTG Card versions
Tendrils of Corruption - MTG Card versions
Instill Infection - MTG Card versions
Launch Party - MTG Card versions
Grisly Spectacle - MTG Card versions
Fatal Fumes - MTG Card versions
Cutthroat Maneuver - MTG Card versions
Silence the Believers - MTG Card versions
Empty the Pits - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hostile Negotiations MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and The Brothers' War, 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 Hostile Negotiations and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Hostile Negotiations Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2022-11-18 and 2022-11-18. Illustrated by David Auden Nash.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 1057122015NormalBlackDavid Auden Nash
22022-11-18The Brothers' WarBRO 1052015NormalBlackDavid Auden Nash
32022-11-18The Brothers' WarBRO 3292015NormalBlackDavid Auden Nash

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hostile Negotiations has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2022-10-14 If you have fewer than six cards in your library, the second pile will be smaller than the first. If you have fewer than four cards in your library, only the first pile will have cards in it at all, and the second pile will be empty. You may choose to turn the empty pile face up, but your opponent will probably choose to give you the empty pile regardless, unless they're feeling especially generous.