Mind Carver MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Artifact — Equipment |
| Abilities | Equip |
| Released | 2020-09-25 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Zendikar Rising |
| Set code | ZNR |
| Number | 113 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Scott Murphy |
Text of card
When Mind Carver enters the battlefield, attach it to target creature you control. Equipped creature gets +1/+0. It gets +3/+1 instead as long as an opponent has eight or more cards in their graveyard. Equip
Cards like Mind Carver
The Mind Carver is a unique card that dives into the strategic depths of MTG, as it holds similarities to equipment like Bonesplitter. While Bonesplitter grants a straightforward power boost of +2/+0, Mind Carver differentiates itself by providing a variable power increase. This augmentation is based on the number of cards in an opponent’s graveyard, potentially making it much stronger in the right deck context.
Shadow Spear is another card with which Mind Carver can be compared. Shadow Spear offers a consistent bonus and the added utility of giving lifelink and trample, but it lacks the scaling potential power of Mind Carver. This potential makes the latter more dynamic in decks built around milling your opponent’s cards.
When evaluating these equipment cards, it’s clear that Mind Carver aligns well with specific strategies, especially in decks centered on graveyard play. While it may not provide the immediate, consistent boost of similar cards, its power ceiling in the proper setup can be a game-changer in the MTG landscape.
Cards similar to Mind Carver by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Mind Carver can significantly increase the number of cards an opponent has to discard, especially once their graveyard contains seven or more cards. This strategic depletion is key to dismantling an opponent’s hand and creating a card advantage for you.
Resource Acceleration: Equipping Mind Carver to a creature enhances that creature’s threat level without expending additional mana each turn. This efficient use of resources can accelerate your game plan, allowing you to focus mana on casting other impactful spells.
Instant Speed: While Mind Carver itself is not an instant, its equip ability can be used at instant speed if combined with cards or abilities that allow you to equip as an instant. This can surprise opponents by boosting a creature’s power just before damage is dealt or during the combat phase.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Mind Carver necessitates a card to be discarded from your hand to activate its full potential. This could put you at a disadvantage, especially if your hand is already running low on options.
Specific Mana Cost: To equip Mind Carver, the player needs to pay the specific mana cost associated with the card. This could sometimes be restrictive and not always easy to achieve, especially early in the game when mana resources are limited.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When compared to other equipment cards in MTG, Mind Carver has a slightly elevated mana cost for its abilities. This may deter players from including it in their deck over other more cost-effective equipment cards.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Mind Carver is a flexible card, easily sliding into decks that thrive on an opponent’s extensive graveyard. Rogues and other discard-focused decks in particular can maximize its power.
Combo Potential: Its ability to quickly become a significant power boost enables it to work in tandem with strategies that benefit from high-power creatures. This makes it an asset in aggressive or mill-based strategies.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment with prevalent graveyard interaction, Mind Carver shines by becoming a low-cost equipment that can turn any creature into a significant threat.
How to beat
Mind Carver is a unique equipment card that can significantly boost a creature’s power, making it a considerable threat in any MTG deck when the opponent’s graveyard is well-stocked. Defeating an opponent who utilizes Mind Carver requires strategic planning. A good strategy is to limit the number of cards in your graveyard. Prioritize cards and effects that can exile cards from graveyards—cards like Relic of Progenitus or Tormod’s Crypt excel in this task, disrupting the fuel Mind Carver thrives on.
Another effective strategy is to manage the battlefield presence and ensure the creature wielding the Mind Carver does not stick around to benefit from its power boost. Removal spells are key here. Utilize instant-speed removal like Fatal Push or Path to Exile to dispose of the enhanced creature before it can deal significant damage. By keeping your graveyard light and the board clear of equipped creatures, you undercut Mind Carver’s potential, thereby improving your odds of maintaining the upper hand in the duel.
To sum up, staying proactive with graveyard management and being ready with creature removal are the tactics you need to neutralize the Mind Carver threat. Successfully executing these strategies will shift the balance back in your favor and dampen the impact of this potent equipment card on the game.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Mind Carver MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar Rising, 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 Mind Carver and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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 MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Mind Carver has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Mind Carver card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2020-09-25 | An ability that offers a bonus if an opponent has eight or more cards in their graveyard won’t provide additional benefits if more than one opponent has eight or more cards in their graveyard. There are also no additional benefits no matter how many cards are in an opponent’s graveyard, as long as there are at least eight. |
| 2020-09-25 | Attaching an Equipment with its enters-the-battlefield triggered ability isn’t the same as using its equip ability. You don’t pay mana for the attachment, and if the Equipment enters at a time you couldn’t cast a sorcery, you can still attach it to a creature you control. |
| 2020-09-25 | If the target creature becomes an illegal target, the Equipment remains on the battlefield unattached. |
| 2020-09-25 | In a multiplayer game, once an opponent leaves the game, they won’t be considered for such an effect, no matter how many cards they had in their graveyard before leaving the game. |