Mystic Subdual MTG Card


Mystic Subdual - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant, Flash
Released2020-04-24
Set symbol
Set nameIkoria: Lair of Behemoths
Set codeIKO
Number57
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byFilip Burburan

Key Takeaways

  1. Negates abilities, subtly maintaining card advantage by reducing opponent creatures’ battlefield impact.
  2. Low-cost and instant-speed play make Mystic Subdual a flexible and strategic control tool.
  3. Despite mana specificity, its utility in controlling the game’s pace makes it a valuable inclusion.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets -2/-0 and loses all abilities. (Mutating onto the creature won't give it new abilities. It can gain abilities in other ways.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Mystic Subdual may not directly allow you to draw cards, it limits your opponent’s card usability by negating a creature’s abilities, effectively turning a potential threat into a non-factor and giving you a subtle upper hand in the battle of resources.

Resource Acceleration: Though not a direct form of resource acceleration like generating mana, Mystic Subdual can be considered a resource saver. Its low cost means you can deal with a threat without sinking too much mana into the solution, leaving more resources available for other spells and plays.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Mystic Subdual at instant speed gives you the flexibility to respond to threats at a moment’s notice. This can disrupt your opponent’s strategy during their turn, making it a strategic tool for controlling the pace of the game and maintaining the element of surprise.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mystic Subdual does not require players to discard a card, thus preserving their hand size and maintaining card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting requirements necessitate both blue mana and generic mana, which could be restrictive for decks not running blue or those that struggle with mana diversity.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Mystic Subdual may be considered to have a high mana cost for its effect on the battlefield, especially when evaluated against other removal or downgrade options available within MTG’s broad spell arsenal.


Reasons to Include Mystic Subdual in Your Collection

Versatility: Mystic Subdual is a flexible blue enchantment that can neutralize potent threats with its ability to strip a creature of its abilities and weaken it. This makes it a handy tool in limited formats and a potential sideboard card for constructed play.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes with strategies focusing on weakening opponents’ creatures or benefit from enchantment synergies. Its low mana cost allows players to efficiently combine it with counterspells or other instant-speed interactions to maintain control of the game.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where creature-based combos or abilities dominate, Mystic Subdual offers a cost-effective solution to disrupt your opponent’s plans. Its instant speed means it can be played on your opponent’s turn, keeping them always guessing and your strategies fluid.


How to Beat Mystic Subdual

Mystic Subdual is a unique aura in Magic: The Gathering that can quickly neutralize powerful creatures. Its ability to give a creature -2/-0 and negate abilities means it can turn off game-changers, especially creatures with formidable triggered or activated abilities. To overcome this, players might consider options such as enchantment removal spells. Naturalize or Disenchant are classic examples, efficiently dealing with Mystic Subdual by simply destroying it.

Another strategy is to use counterspells to prevent Mystic Subdual from ever hitting the board. Spells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto, which target non-creature spells, can be especially effective at preserving your creature’s capabilities. Alternatively, using creatures with Hexproof or Shroud can also evade Mystic Subdual’s influence, as they are immune to being targeted by spells or abilities your opponents control.

Overall, facing a Mystic Subdual is about anticipation and protection. Whether you’re dismantling it after its cast or preventing it in the first place, the key is to maintain the integrity of your creature strategy and keep your most valuable assets safe from such disabling enchantments.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mystic Subdual adds a strategic edge to your MTG deck by providing instant-speed interaction to disrupt your opponent’s creatures. Whether enhancing a control setup in a blue-focused ensemble or looking for a sideboard option that modifies the rhythm of play, evaluating the inclusion of Mystic Subdual is key. For players who thrive on reactionary plays and enjoy subtlety in their game plan, it’s a blue enchantment worth considering. Keep your adversaries on their toes and control the battlefield with ease. Dive deeper into MTG tactics and optimize your deck with insights from our in-depth analyses.


Cards like Mystic Subdual

Mystic Subdual slips smoothly into the selection of enchantment spells aiming to neutralize threatening creatures. It draws a parallel to cards like Frogify, which also diminishes a creature’s abilities and power but goes a step further by transforming it into a base 1/1 creature. Mystic Subdual, while lacking this transformative aspect, has the advantage of flash, allowing players to cast it any time they could cast an instant, thus surprising an opponent during their own turn.

Then there’s Lignify, another card that serves a similar purpose. It turns any creature into a harmless 0/4 treefolk with no abilities, effectively taking it out of the conflict. The hook with Mystic Subdual is its mana efficiency and the speed at which it can be played, offering a quick response to impending threats without a cumbersome mana cost. Compared to Lignify, Mystic Subdual maintains creatures’ original power and toughness but still significantly hampers their utility, often negating key abilities that may influence the game’s outcome.

In a broader sense, Mystic Subdual aligns closely with other control strategies within Magic: The Gathering. It’s a tactical option for players who prioritize tempo and prefer to keep their opponents off-balance with timely reactions and efficient resource expenditure.

Frogify - MTG Card versions
Lignify - MTG Card versions
Frogify - MTG Card versions
Lignify - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mystic Subdual MTG card by a specific set like Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, 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 Mystic Subdual and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mystic Subdual has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2020-04-17 If a creature has power and toughness written as */* with an ability that defines its power and toughness, its base power and toughness become 0/0 when it loses all abilities. Mystic Subdual then makes it a -2/0. If its power and toughness are written as */*+1, it’s -2/1, and so on.
2020-04-17 If the affected creature gains an ability after Mystic Subdual becomes attached to it, it will keep that ability.
2020-04-17 Mutating the enchanted creature won’t cause it to gain abilities. This is because mutate modifies the creature’s base characteristics, while Mystic Subdual applies to the resulting creature.

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