Discarding MTG Card


Discarding - Jumpstart Front Cards
TypeCard
Released2020-06-18
Set symbol
Set nameJumpstart Front Cards
Set codeFJMP
Number9
Frame2015
Layouttoken
Borderblack
Illustred byDimitar Marinski
TokenTokens act as indicators during gameplay and are not included into building a deck.

Key Takeaways

  1. Cycling through decks enhances card advantage, trading less impactful cards for game-changing ones.
  2. Cards with graveyard interactions benefit from discard, effectively doubling their utility.
  3. Instant speed discard disrupts adversaries, allowing for strategic plays at crucial moments.

Text of card

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Discard mechanics often enable players to cycle through their decks more effectively, trading less useful cards in their hand for potentially more impactful ones. This can significantly contribute to maintaining card advantage over your adversary as you sift for the keys to victory.

Resource Acceleration: Certain MTG strategies harness the power of discard to accelerate resources. Cards interacting with the graveyard, such as those with Flashback or Jump-Start, can effectively double the utility gained from a single card, propelling you ahead in resource management.

Instant Speed: Many discard spells can be cast at instant speed, allowing strategic flexibility. This timing lets players disrupt opponents at critical moments, whether it’s stripping a crucial spell from their hand before they have a chance to cast it or in response to an on-board action that could change the game state.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Implementing strategies that revolve around discarding can be risky, as you may inadvertently deplete valuable cards from your hand, which might be crucial for your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: Some powerful discard effects come with stringent mana requirements, making them less adaptable across various deck archetypes that may not align with the mana colors needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While discarding provides a tactical edge, there are cards where the cost to activate the discard effect is steep compared to other options. This can hinder your tempo, especially when facing opponents with faster, more streamlined decks.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Discarding cards in MTG can serve various strategic purposes, enabling synergy with graveyard mechanics or triggering effects that activate when cards are discarded.

Combo Potential: Cards that cause discarding can be key components in powerful combos, working with those that capitalize on card removal from a player’s hand or generate benefits when discarded.

Meta-Relevance: Discard strategies can be particularly effective in a meta-game where players rely heavily on carefully curated hands, throwing off opponents’ plans and gaining you the upper hand.


How to beat

Discarding cards in Magic: The Gathering often feels like a setback, but it’s a potent tool in any strategist’s arsenal. It can disrupt an opponent’s hand while setting up your own plays. Think of powerful spells like Thoughtseize, which provides insight into the opponent’s hand and nicking a key card, potentially derailing their game plan. It’s vital, then, to know how to outmaneuver this strategy to maintain control of the game.

One method to beat discarding strategies is through deck structure. Including cards that benefit from being in the graveyard, such as creatures with Unearth or cards with Flashback, turns discarding into an advantage. Another strategy is to keep a lower hand size to minimize the impact — cards like Bone Miser exploit discarding, allowing you to cycle through your deck rapidly and utilize various effects depending on the card type discarded. Lastly, effective use of instant-speed card draw, like Think Twice, can quickly replenish a diminished hand, ensuring that the discard cost becomes almost a benefit as you draw into new resources seamlessly.

In essence, understanding your deck’s synergy and turning seemingly detrimental effects into strategic advantages can make discarding not just a hurdle to overcome but a component of your victory path in Magic: The Gathering.


Cards like Discarding

Delving into the depths of resource management in Magic: The Gathering, discarding a card emerges as a powerful tool akin to a double-edged sword. It finds its counterparts in numerous cards across the game. Take for instance, the classic spell Chain of Smog. This card forces both the player and the opponent to discard and then replicate the effect if the player chooses. It’s like a wildfire, uncontrolled and spreading, unlike the tactical precision of targeted discarding.

In comparison, Raven’s Crime presents a different tactic with its retake on discard. It allows recurring opportunities to undermine your opponent’s hand through its retrace ability, offering a persistent threat over time. While it doesn’t affect the player’s hand directly, its strength lies in continuity rather than the instantaneous effect. Then there’s the aggressive nature of Mind Twist, capable of decimating an opponent’s hand with its variable mana cost, it contrasts with the selective and controlled strategy of a card like Thoughtseize, which opts for pinpoint extraction over the scorched-earth approach of Mind Twist.

Weighing the similarities and nuances, it’s clear that while the act of discarding is a shared thread, the strategic implications and the contexts in which these MTG cards are employed greatly alter their utility and impact during gameplay.

Chain of Smog - MTG Card versions
Raven's Crime - MTG Card versions
Mind Twist - MTG Card versions
Thoughtseize - MTG Card versions
Chain of Smog - Onslaught (ONS)
Raven's Crime - Eventide (EVE)
Mind Twist - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Thoughtseize - Lorwyn (LRW)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Discarding MTG card by a specific set like Jumpstart Front Cards, 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 Discarding and other MTG cards:

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