Minister of Inquiries MTG Card
2016-09-30 - Number 57
2020-11-12 - Number 58
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Vedalken Advisor |
| Abilities | Mill |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Offers card advantage and graveyard synergy by enabling strategic milling at instant speed.
- Energy generation upon entry makes it a powerful asset for resource acceleration.
- Tactical flexibility is enhanced with the option to mill during an opponent’s turn.
Text of card
When Minister of Inquiries enters the battlefield, you get (two energy counters). , Pay : Target player puts the top three cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
"This research violates Consulate law."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Minister of Inquiries provides unique card advantages. Through its ability to enable players to ‘mill’ cards from the top of their deck into the graveyard, it opens strategic avenues and can potentially provide access to graveyard synergies and recursion opportunities.
Resource Acceleration: This card expertly accelerates your resources by granting ‘energy’ counters when it enters the battlefield. Energy can be a valuable resource in MTG, usable for activating not only the Minister’s own ability but also various other energy-related cards you might have in your deck, potentially ramping up your game ahead of your opponent.
Instant Speed: The ability of the Minister of Inquiries to activate its milling effect at instant speed grants players tactical flexibility. This can be crucial in disrupting opponents’ strategies, especially when you can respond during their turn and potentially mill key cards from their library before they have a chance to draw them.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One possible downside of Minister of Inquiries is the necessity to exile your own cards with its ability – this means potentially losing valuable resources in exchange for the energy tokens and milling.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires blue mana to play, which may not always seamlessly fit into every deck strategy. Its reliance on a specific type of mana can be restrictive, limiting its flexibility across various deck types.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the initial cost may seem low, the real expense is in the energy token requirement to activate its ability. In decks not focused on energy generation, other cards might provide more consistent or cost-effective mill effects.
Reasons to Include Minister of Inquiries in Your Collection
Versatility: Minister of Inquiries serves as a handy resource in energy decks and finds a place in mill strategies where consistent library disruption is key. Its low casting cost also makes it an optimal choice for early game plays.
Combo Potential: With the ability to convert energy into mill effects, this card pairs well with other energy-generating cards, creating synergies that can effectively disrupt your opponent’s strategy before it takes hold.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where graveyard-based strategies are prevalent, having a card like Minister of Inquiries can give you an edge by weakening those tactics and controlling the pace of the game from the onset.
How to beat
Minister of Inquiries is a card that offers a strategic advantage in mill decks within the MTG universe. By expending energy, it enables players to chisel away at their opponent’s library, potentially leading to a deck-out victory condition. But don’t fear, there are effective tactics to counter this millstone.
Spot removal spells are the immediate response. Swiftly eliminating the Minister from the battlefield prevents the mill from progressing. Cards with the prowess to exile creatures can be particularly useful, ensuring the Minister doesn’t return to the fray. Trust in graveyard shuffling effects too, which can blunt the impact of being milled, such as cards like the Eldrazi titans that shuffle your graveyard back into your library if milled.
Also consider employing strategies that benefit from having cards in your graveyard. Dredge mechanics or utilizing the graveyard as a resource can turn the table on mill strategies. By effectively countering and exploiting the milling, you can keep the Minister of Inquiries’ influence in check and secure your path to victory.
Cards like Minister of Inquiries
Minister of Inquiries holds its own niche within the pantheon of creatures in Magic: The Gathering that affect a player’s library. Comparable to Hedron Crab, which also interacts with the library, Minister of Inquiries offers flexibility as it allows you to target any player’s library, not just an opponent’s. Unlike Hedron Crab’s landfall trigger, it requires the energy resource to activate its ability, providing a strategic layer to gameplay.
Much like Diligent Excavator, Minister of Inquiries thrives in artifact and historic-focused decks. However, while Diligent Excavator requires you to cast historic spells, the Minister provides energy counters upon entry, ready to use its milling power immediately. Another akin card is Merfolk Secretkeeper, which offers a similar mill effect but that is tied to an Adventure spell rather than an activated ability, granting a one-time surge rather than a repeatable effect.
Ultimately, within the realm of mill cards, Minister of Inquiries proposes a certain versatility and synergy with energy-based strategies, making it a distinctive option for players looking to hinder an opponent’s strategy or sculpt their own graveyard for strategic advantages.
Cards similar to Minister of Inquiries by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Minister of Inquiries MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh and Kaladesh Remastered, 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 Minister of Inquiries 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 Minister of Inquiries Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by Dan Scott.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-09-30 | Kaladesh | KLD | 57 | 2015 | normal | black | Dan Scott | |
| 2 | 2020-11-12 | Kaladesh Remastered | KLR | 58 | 2015 | normal | black | Dan Scott |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Minister of Inquiries has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Minister of Inquiries card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-02-09 | Energy counters are a kind of counter that a player may have. They're not associated with specific permanents. (Other kinds of counters that players may have include poison and experience.) |
| 2017-02-09 | Energy counters aren't mana. They don't go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana “of any type” to your mana pool can't give you energy counters. |
| 2017-02-09 | If an effect says you get one or more , you get that many energy counters. To pay one or more , you lose that many energy counters. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters. |
| 2017-02-09 | Keep careful track of how many energy counters each player has. You may do so by keeping a running count on paper, by using a die, or by any other clear and mutually agreeable method. |
| 2017-02-09 | You can't pay more energy counters than you have. |
| 2017-02-09 | is the energy symbol. It represents one energy counter. |
