Desperate Research MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery
Released	2000-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Invasion
Set code	INV
Number	100
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ron Spencer

Key Takeaways

Instantly searching your deck with Desperate Research can decisively alter the game’s momentum.
Its ability to be played at instant speed makes it a flexible and surprising addition to any deck.
Desperate Research can seamlessly integrate into various strategies, boosting both control and combo decks.

Text of card

Name a card other than a basic land. Then reveal the top seven cards of your library and put all of them with that name into your hand. Remove the rest from the game.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Desperate Research allows you to look at the top three cards of your library, which is crucial in situations where finding the right card can determine the game’s outcome. By selectively getting access to key cards, you can outpace your opponent’s strategy and maintain a hand that puts you at an advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Desperate Research doesn’t directly produce mana, it can significantly expedite your access to important spells. By digging deeper into your library, you’re able to find mana sources or the necessary components to execute pivotal plays more swiftly than usual.

Instant Speed: The ability of Desperate Research to be played at instant speed offers remarkable flexibility. This lets you keep your options open, responding to your opponent’s actions efficiently, and provides the element of surprise, potentially disrupting their plans. Using instant speed to its full potential can significantly shift the momentum of the game in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Desperate Research necessitates the discarding of a card, which might deplete your hand, especially detrimental when you’re already struggling to maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This spell’s casting cost requires specific mana, which ties it predominantly to decks with a heavy emphasis on that color, potentially limiting its versatility in multi-color decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana needed to cast Desperate Research is considered high for its effects, leaving players to weigh its cost against other options that might serve the same purpose with greater efficiency or additional benefits.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Desperate Research is a highly adaptable card, easily fitting into various types of decks, including control or combo archetypes that thrive on efficient and targeted spell recursion.

Combo Potential: This card can significantly enhance combo decks by retrieving key spells from the graveyard, thus enabling repeatable casting sequences or even facilitating infinite loops under the right conditions.

Meta-Relevance: Within a meta that emphasizes strategic plays and spell mastery, Desperate Research can act as a cornerstone, providing a reliable way to access your best spells repeatedly against other tuned decks.

How to beat Desperate Research

Desperate Research is a powerful spell in Magic the Gathering that affords players the ability to search their library for any number of cards with the same name, then put one into their hand. This tactic can be incredibly potent in decks designed around specific combo pieces or redundant effects. But like any formidable card, Desperate Research has its Achilles’ heel.

To effectively counter this strategy, disruption is key. Employ hand disruption spells early to pluck pivotal pieces from your opponent’s grip, hindering their ability to fulfill the conditions Desperate Research requires. Similarly, employing counterspells at the right moment can thwart a player’s plan to execute their research. Another angle is to aggressively apply pressure to reduce the time your opponent has to set up their desired combo. In competitive formats, it’s also wise to include graveyard hate within one’s deck as it can neutralize the benefits gained from Desperate Research.

Knowing Desperate Research’s dependence on specific conditions, crafting your strategy to dismantle those conditions can turn this daunting card into a manageable one. By staying one step ahead, you ensure that your opponent’s desperate search for answers comes up short.

Exploring the Depth of Desperate Research in MTG

Desperate Research stands out in the array of card advantage spells within Magic: The Gathering. This spell’s distinct ability to sift through your library for a named card offers targeted access to your deck’s components. In comparison, a card like Demonic Tutor also lets players search their library for any card, but unlike Desperate Research, it does not restrict you to name the card first, giving it more flexibility at a similar cost.

Cards like Desperate Research

When examining Desperate Research alongside its peers, we see parallels and significant differences. Seasoned players might recall a card like Accumulated Knowledge, which allows you to draw cards equal to the number of cards with the same name in your graveyard. Although it provides a different route to dig through the deck, it requires setup to leverage its full potential. Strategic gamers might find Desperate Research’s immediate search functionality to be more beneficial in decks built around singular, powerful cards.

A closer relation can be drawn to Infernal Tutor with its conditional nature hinging on hellbent, only revealing its full capability when your hand is empty. Desperate Research, on the other hand, doesn’t depend on hand size, making it predictably powerful throughout the game. By understanding these nuances between similar cards, players can more effectively harness Desperate Research’s potential in their MTG strategies.

Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Desperate Research by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Desperate Research MTG card by a specific set like Invasion, 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 Desperate Research and other MTG cards: