Mindreaver MTG Card

Disruption potential through exiling cards directly impacts opponents’ game plans. Specific three blue mana cost requires deck building around Mindreaver. Meta-relevant card that counters graveyard-based and combo decks effectively.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Human Wizard
Abilities	Heroic
Released	2014-02-07
Set symbol
Set name	Born of the Gods
Set code	BNG
Power	2
Toughness	1
Number	44
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Wesley Burt

Text of card

Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets Mindreaver, exile the top three cards of target player's library. , Sacrifice Mindreaver: Counter target spell with the same name as a card exiled with Mindreaver.

Cards like Mindreaver

Mindreaver presents a unique role in the realm of creature cards within Magic: The Gathering. It echoes characteristics seen in cards like Ashiok’s Adept, where the focus is on leveraging opponent’s spells to trigger beneficial effects. While Ashiok’s Adept requires the opponent to specifically target it with a spell to trigger the discard effect, Mindreaver capitalizes on any instant or sorcery card that hits the graveyard from anywhere – making it a broader and potentially more impactful trigger.

Another comparable card is Jace’s Sentinel. Although it doesn’t directly interact with the opponent’s spells, it shares a similar cost and provides a tactical edge through additional card information and defensive capabilities. Yet what makes Mindreaver stand out is its ability to exile spells, significantly disrupting the opponent’s strategy, especially in formats where recurring spells from the graveyard is common. Not to forget, the potential for unlimited scaling of its Heroic ability with each spell exiled.

Assessing the landscape, Mindreaver carves a niche for itself among MTG creature cards. Its capacity to deny opponents important cards while simultaneously building up its own power makes it a card worth considering in decks that can exploit these synergies effectively.

Cards similar to Mindreaver by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mindreaver offers a unique mechanism for disrupting your opponent’s strategies by targeting their spells. Through its heroic ability, each time it is targeted by a spell you control, you get to exile an instant or sorcery card from the opponent’s hand. This can potentially lead to accumulating advantages as you deplete key components of your opponent’s game plan.

Resource Acceleration: Although Mindreaver itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it can pave the way for a quicker route to victory by removing the obstacles – powerful spells – from your opponent’s hand. This can enable your own resources to be employed more efficiently as your opponent will have fewer responses to your plays.

Instant Speed: Mindreaver’s capabilities are significantly enhanced when paired with spells that can be cast at instant speed. This allows you to respond to your opponent’s actions during their turn, building up Mindreaver’s power while simultaneously stripping away their potential plays. This reactive approach can leave opponents struggling to adapt on the fly.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mindreaver necessitates the discarding of a card to leverage one of its abilities. This can be particularly taxing in tight situations where hand size is already diminished, forcing players to make tough decisions about resource management.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost for Mindreaver is not just three blue mana, which necessitates a heavy commitment to blue mana sources in your deck and can be restrictive for multi-color deck strategies, often necessitating additional sources of mana fixing to be played efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a creature with base stats of 2/1, the initial investment of three mana might be considered steep, especially when evaluate against other creatures in the same mana cost bracket, which may offer greater immediate impact or resilience on the battlefield.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mindreaver offers diverse applications within decks that aim to disrupt opponent strategies, given its ability to exile cards from an opponent’s library. This adaptability makes it a useful card for players who appreciate strategic depth and control.

Combo Potential: With the right setup, Mindreaver can become an integral piece of a combo, leveraging its Heroic ability for massive disruption when triggered repeatedly. It pairs well with spells or abilities that target multiple creatures to strip key components from the adversary’s game plan.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where graveyard strategies or decks reliant on specific combo pieces prevail, Mindreaver’s skill set can greatly impact the flow of the match. Its relevance in the meta makes it a card worth considering for players looking to throw a wrench in the opponents’ finely-tuned machines.

How to Beat

The enigmatic Mindreaver presents a unique challenge on the battlefield with its potential to disrupt strategies by exiling cards from an opponent’s hand. To diminish its influence, a sharp focus on removal spells is the way forward. Instant speed removals like Murder or Path to Exile can effectively deal with the creature before its heroic ability causes significant impact. Additionally, negating its ability with cards like Stifle or Tale’s End can prove to be strategic, preventing the card exile from occurring.

When facing Mindreaver, one must also consider the pace of play. Utilizing creature control elements like Pacifism or tapping effects from cards such as Frost Lynx can also hinder its effectiveness. Disruption is key; thus, hand attack spells like Duress or Thoughtseize can preemptively remove support spells that would trigger its heroic ability. Prioritizing the removal of Mindreaver or mitigating its abilities cripples the opponent’s plan and ensures a smoother path to victory.

In essence, countering the Mindreaver involves a combination of early removal, ability denial, or control techniques. Addressing it swiftly is crucial, as a prolonged presence on the field could grant opponents unwanted advantages. Through effective strategy, the mystical prowess of Mindreaver can be overcome, allowing players to maintain control of the game.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mindreaver MTG card by a specific set like Born of the Gods, 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 Mindreaver and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mindreaver 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 Mindreaver card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2013-09-15	Heroic abilities will resolve before the spell that caused them to trigger.
2013-09-15	Heroic abilities will trigger only once per spell, even if that spell targets the creature with the heroic ability multiple times.
2013-09-15	Heroic abilities won’t trigger when a copy of a spell is created on the stack or when a spell’s targets are changed to include a creature with a heroic ability.
2014-02-01	If Mindreaver leaves the battlefield, and later another Mindreaver enters the battlefield, it is a new object (even if the two were represented by the same card). The last ability of the second Mindreaver doesn’t refer to any cards exiled with the first one.
2014-02-01	The cards are exiled face up. All players can look at them.