Traumatize MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Abilities Mill

Key Takeaways

  1. Traumatize’s ability to mill half an opponent’s library offers significant card advantage in gameplay.
  2. Its cost and sorcery speed are trade-offs for its potentially game-altering mill effect on the opponent.
  3. This card is formidable in mill-focused decks, excelling in game-ending combos and graveyard strategies.

Text of card

Target player puts the top half of his or her library, rounded down, into his or her graveyard.

Dreads had half a mind to leave.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When you deploy Traumatize, its effect lets you mill half the target opponent’s library, rounding down. This action can dramatically tilt the balance of a match by stripping away vital resources from your adversary and potentially removing their key strategies before they can be executed. This massive depletion of the opponent’s deck ensures you effectively disrupt their tactics, fundamental for gaining card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Traumatize itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, its ability to thin out an opponent’s deck can indirectly expedite your path to victory. With fewer cards at their disposal, the opponent is now limited in their responses, which can bring you closer to a win state faster, especially in formats where library depletion is a viable path to victory.

Instant Speed: Despite Traumatize being a sorcery, its powerful effect compensates for this lower speed. The spell’s immense impact when played at a strategically opportune moment, like just after your opponent tutors a card to the top of their library, can mimic the disruptive power of an instant by devastating your opponent’s carefully laid plans at a critical juncture.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike other mill cards, Traumatize does not have a discard requirement, thus ensuring your hand remains full.

Specific Mana Cost: Traumatize’s casting cost involves both blue mana and generic mana, necessitating a commitment to its color and potentially restricting its inclusion in multicolor decks that can’t reliably produce blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a five mana cost, Traumatize can be quite the investment, especially when considering that gameplay in MTG often hinges on efficiently utilizing every mana point. Other cards may offer immediate board presence or card advantage with less resource commitment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Traumatize demonstrates a high level of adaptability, fitting snugly into mill decks or strategies that capitalize on large graveyard volumes. Its ability to halve an opponent’s library makes it an excellent choice for those looking to disrupt the conventional gameplay.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with effects that benefit from a full graveyard—think reanimation tactics or leveraging cards like Fraying Sanity for a deadly one-two punch. The potential to set up game-ending combos by fueling your own graveyard is just as impactful.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where long games are common, Traumatize can decisively thin out an opponent’s resources, shifting the odds in your favor. Its role becomes prominent in matchups where enduring games are anticipated and deck attrition becomes the path to victory.


How to beat

Traumatize presents a unique challenge on the battlefield, being one of those high-impact cards that can significantly tilt the game. With the ability to halve a player’s library, it’s a potent weapon, particularly in formats where mill strategies thrive. To counter this card effectively, it’s crucial to maintain a versatile defense that includes graveyard recovery or shuffling mechanics. Cards like Elixir of Immortality can be a saving grace, offering a way to reshuffle your graveyard back into your library, mitigating Traumatize’s potential damage.

Additionally, having instant-speed counterspells or hand disruption tools at your disposal can prevent Traumatize from ever hitting the table. Notably, Thoughtseize allows you to remove it from your opponent’s hand before they have a chance to cast it. It’s also worth investing in tutor cards that can fetch the necessary answers from your deck to ensure you’re prepared for any surprise plays. Staying one step ahead with strategic foresight and maintaining a strong defense will help you navigate the tides of battle and emerge victorious against the threat of Traumatize.


BurnMana Recommendations

Deepening your MTG expertise calls for more than just knowing the rules; it’s about making pivotal moves that can turn a game on its head. Traumatize is one such card that offers that power shift, an excellent addition to any player who relishes strategy and control. With its potential to cripple an opponent’s deck and fortify your own position, it’s a card that beckons a deeper dive into tactical play. If mastering sophisticated game plans, optimizing your deck, and understanding the intricacies of every matchup intrigues you, then sharpening your skills with in-depth insights and advanced strategies is your next move. Ready for more? Embark on this inquisitive journey with us and transform your MTG sessions into a display of tactical brilliance.


Cards like Traumatize

Traumatize holds a unique place in the Magic: The Gathering card library as one of the most potent mill cards. Milling, the strategy of putting cards from a player’s library into their graveyard, sees a direct comparison to cards like Glimpse the Unthinkable. Glimpse the Unthinkable targets a single opponent to instantly mill ten cards at a lower mana cost. What Traumatize lacks in immediacy, it makes up for in the later game, potentially milling half a deck in one move.

Another card in the discussion is Mind Funeral, which operates under a different dynamic. It mills until four land cards are revealed, a number that could surpass even Traumatize’s half-deck capability or fall short, adding variability. Keening Stone follows a more incremental approach but can produce a similar level of library destruction over time, particularly after Traumatize has set the stage.

Choosing between these cards involves a deep understanding of your deck’s design and desired tempo. Traumatize works exceptionally as a shock tactic in the mid-to-late game, leveraging a powerful board position to seal a match. Its comparison with these similar cards showcases the sheer diversity of milling and the strategic depth MTG offers players.

Glimpse the Unthinkable - MTG Card versions
Mind Funeral - MTG Card versions
Keening Stone - MTG Card versions
Glimpse the Unthinkable - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Mind Funeral - Alara Reborn (ARB)
Keening Stone - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Cards similar to Traumatize by color, type and mana cost

Library of Lat-Nam - MTG Card versions
Psychic Transfer - MTG Card versions
Balance of Power - MTG Card versions
Cruel Fate - MTG Card versions
Temporal Manipulation - MTG Card versions
Brilliant Plan - MTG Card versions
Time Warp - MTG Card versions
Reverse Engineer - MTG Card versions
Essence Fracture - MTG Card versions
Rush of Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Temporal Fissure - MTG Card versions
Bribery - MTG Card versions
Acquire - MTG Card versions
Heed the Mists - MTG Card versions
Ribbons of the Reikai - MTG Card versions
Reduce to Dreams - MTG Card versions
Tidings - MTG Card versions
Capture of Jingzhou - MTG Card versions
Allied Strategies - MTG Card versions
Devastation Tide - MTG Card versions
Library of Lat-Nam - Alliances (ALL)
Psychic Transfer - Starter 1999 (S99)
Balance of Power - The List (PLST)
Cruel Fate - Portal (POR)
Temporal Manipulation - The List (PLST)
Brilliant Plan - Treasure Chest (PZ2)
Time Warp - Explorers of Ixalan (E02)
Reverse Engineer - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Essence Fracture - Onslaught (ONS)
Rush of Knowledge - Double Masters (2XM)
Temporal Fissure - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Bribery - Commander Masters (CMM)
Acquire - IDW Comics 2014 (PI14)
Heed the Mists - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Ribbons of the Reikai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Reduce to Dreams - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Tidings - Commander 2018 (C18)
Capture of Jingzhou - Judge Gift Cards 2017 (J17)
Allied Strategies - Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition (DDE)
Devastation Tide - Commander 2018 (C18)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Traumatize MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey and Ninth Edition, 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 Traumatize and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Traumatize Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2001-10-01 and 2013-07-19. Illustrated by Greg Staples.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-10-01OdysseyODY 1101997normalblackGreg Staples
22005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 1092003normalwhiteGreg Staples
32005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 109★2003normalblackGreg Staples
42007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 1192003normalblackGreg Staples
52009-07-17Magic 2010M10 772003normalblackGreg Staples
62010-07-16Magic 2011M11 772003normalblackGreg Staples
72013-07-19Magic 2014M14 772003normalblackGreg Staples

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Traumatize has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 The player can put the cards in their graveyard in any order they choose.

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