Stain the Mind MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Convoke
Released	2014-07-18
Set symbol
Set name	Magic 2015
Set code	M15
Number	117
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jason Rainville

Key Takeaways

Allows preemptive library disruption, removing opponents’ key cards before they become threats.
Convoke ability enables casting prior to reaching the total mana cost, speeding up play.
Knowledge of an opponent’s library guides future instant-speed response planning effectively.

Text of card

Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for or one mana of that creature's color.) Name a nonland card. Search target player's graveyard, hand, and library for any number of cards with that name and exile them. Then that player shuffles his or her library.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Stain the Mind, a powerful inclusion in any MTG player’s deck, grants the unique advantage of preemptive disruption by stripping crucial components directly from an opponent’s deck. Instead of targeting the hand or the battlefield, it delves into the library, potentially removing a key card before it can ever become a threat.

Resource Acceleration: Another subtle benefit of Stain the Mind lies in its convoke ability, which enables faster deployment than its nominal cost would suggest. By tapping creatures you already control, it’s possible to cast this spell much earlier, effectively accelerating your resource utilization without dipping into your available mana for the turn.

Instant Speed: Even though Stain the Mind is a sorcery, the strategic value of knowing your opponent’s library composition as early as possible should not be underestimated. By shaping your game plan with this knowledge, you’re able to allocate your instant-speed responses more effectively in upcoming turns, anticipating and neutralizing threats before they can be played.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Stain the Mind is its potential to deplete your hand. To unleash its prowess, you must nominate a nonland card, which can sometimes backfire if your hand is already running low on actionable cards. This can leave you vulnerable to your opponent’s next moves if you haven’t played your strategy right.

Specific Mana Cost: Stain the Mind requires a dedicated mana setup with its single black mana cost alongside four generic mana. This cost can sometimes be restrictive and may not seamlessly blend into some multicolored decks that struggle to ensure a stable black mana source each game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its total cost of five mana to play, Stain the Mind can be somewhat cumbersome compared to other disruption spells in the game. Its overall mana demand can slow down your tempo, particularly in the early stages of the game where preserving mana for other tactics could be crucial.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Stain the Mind can adapt to various deck strategies, acting as a preemptive strike against key cards in your opponent’s deck. It’s particularly useful in black-focused decks where casting it for its Convoke cost can be advantageous.

Combo Potential: This card can disrupt combo decks by removing essential pieces from your opponent’s game plan, thereby hindering their ability to execute their strategy effectively.

Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves and different decks rise in popularity, Stain the Mind remains relevant by targeting the crux of meta-dominating strategies, ensuring your deck has a fighting chance regardless of the prevalent deck types.

How to beat

Stain the Mind is a unique card in the universe of Magic: The Gathering, particularly for its capacity to disrupt your opponent’s strategy by preemptively removing key cards from their deck. To effectively counteract Stain the Mind, it is crucial to protect your hand and deck from being targeted. This can be achieved by utilizing counter spells that negate the casting of Stain the Mind or by employing cards to shuffle your graveyard back into your library, which mitigates the effect of your opponent’s attempt at hand disruption.

Another effective strategy includes diversifying your threats so that removing one particular card doesn’t cripple your game plan. Aim for redundancy in your deck’s key functions, keeping in mind that Stain the Mind requires an understanding of your opponent’s deck to be fully effective. By maintaining a versatile and dynamic deck, you decrease the odds of Stain the Mind striking a critical blow to your chances of winning.

Ultimately, the key to overcoming Stain the Mind lies in preparation and adaptability. Ensuring your deck is resilient to surgical removal tactics and employing timely counterspells increases your ability to maintain an upper hand in the face of this potent disruption card.

Cards like Stain the Mind

Stain the Mind stands out in the realm of non-creature disruption within Magic: The Gathering. This card aligns with the objectives of cards like Thoughtseize and Duress, which also aim to disrupt the opponent’s game plan. Yet, Stain the Mind brings a unique approach with its converge mechanic allowing players to name a card and search for any number of copies in the opponent’s hand, graveyard, and library to exile.

Thoughtseize offers targeted hand disruption at a lower cost but does not have the sweeping potential of Stain the Mind. Duress, while also cheaper, only targets non-creature spells and lacks the thorough exiling ability. Then there’s Memoricide, a card akin to Stain the Mind, with the ability to search and exile all copies of a named card without the option to play it with alternative costs—unlike Stain the Mind’s possibility for casting through the use of creatures to aid in the converge mechanic.

Therefore, when comparing these disruption spells, Stain the Mind introduces a significant edge for players seeking to eliminate key threats extensively from a game, provided they can meet its specific casting requirements for maximum efficiency.

Cards similar to Stain the Mind by color, type and mana cost

Voices from the Void - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stain the Mind MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2015, 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 Stain the Mind and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Stain the Mind has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2014-07-18	Because convoke isn’t an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs.
2014-07-18	Convoke doesn’t change a spell’s mana cost or converted mana cost.
2014-07-18	If a creature you control has a mana ability with in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with convoke will result in the creature being tapped when you pay the spell’s costs. You won’t be able to tap it again for convoke. Similarly, if you sacrifice a creature to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with convoke, that creature won’t be on the battlefield when you pay the spell’s costs, so you won’t be able to tap it for convoke.
2014-07-18	Tapping a multicolored creature using convoke will pay for or one mana of your choice of any of that creature’s colors.
2014-07-18	The rules for convoke have changed slightly since it last appeared in an expansion. Previously, convoke reduced the cost to cast a spell. Under current rules, you tap creatures at the same time you pay the spell’s costs. Tapping a creature this way is simply another way to pay.
2014-07-18	When calculating a spell’s total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Convoke applies after the total cost is calculated.
2014-07-18	When using convoke to cast a spell with in its mana cost, first choose the value for X. That choice, plus any cost increases or decreases, will determine the spell’s total cost. Then you can tap creatures you control to help pay that cost. For example, if you cast Chord of Calling (a spell with convoke and mana cost ) and choose X to be 3, the total cost is . If you tap two green creatures and two red creatures, you’ll have to pay .
2014-07-18	You can leave any cards with that name in the zone they’re in. You don’t have to exile them.