Grimoire Thief MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Merfolk Rogue
Released	2008-02-01
Set symbol
Set name	Morningtide
Set code	MOR
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	35
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Randy Gallegos

Key Takeaways

The card’s ability to exile offers strategic depth and disrupts the opponent’s resources during play.
Instant speed interactions enable flexibility and preserve the element of surprise in combat.
Despite its strengths, it faces competition with other three-drop choices and requires careful deck building.

Text of card

Whenever Grimoire Thief becomes tapped, remove the top three cards of target opponent's library from the game face down. You may look at cards removed from the game with Grimoire Thief. , Sacrifice Grimoire Thief: Turn all cards removed from the game with Grimoire Thief face up. Counter all spells with those names.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Grimoire Thief offers strategic depth by exiling cards from your opponent’s library. Triggering its ability can potentially deprive your opponent of key resources while boosting your options when those cards are accessed later, thus tipping the scales in your favor during the matchup.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly increasing your mana pool, the Thief’s potential to unlock access to exiled cards can be seen as a form of resource acceleration. Having the ability to leverage an opponent’s spells in future turns can be a crucial tactical advantage.

Instant Speed: The creature’s kinship with instant speed interactions is manifested in its tap ability, which can be utilized in response to an opponent’s actions. This reactive capability ensures you’re maximizing your turn by holding up resources until the most opportune moment, thus preserving the element of surprise.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Grimoire Thief’s triggered ability necessitates milling from your opponent’s library, which is contingent on successfully dealing combat damage, potentially a tall order against decks with robust defenses.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a precise combination of one blue and two other mana. This specialized cost can restrict flexibility, particularly in multicolored decks that may struggle with mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of three mana, Grimoire Thief is competing against other pivotal three-drop options available in blue-centric strategies, which may offer immediate impact or greater versatility without the combat damage stipulation.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Grimoire Thief can integrate seamlessly into blue-centric control or combo decks. Its ability to disrupt opponents by exiling cards from their library equips players with a tool that’s both defensive and proactive.

Combo Potential: This card thrives when combined with untap mechanics or effects that multiply triggered abilities. With the right setup, Grimoire Thief can become a linchpin for powerful card-denial combos, significantly hindering your opponent’s strategy.

Meta-Relevance: In environments heavy with decks that rely on specific cards to function, the capability of Grimoire Thief to remove key components from your opponent’s deck can swing games in your favor, making it a valuable addition to any collection with an eye on competitive play.

How to beat Grimoire Thief

Grimoire Thief might feel like an obstacle for many MTG players, especially when it disrupts strategies by exiling cards from the deck. It’s wise to keep in mind that Grimoire Thief’s ability relies on being tapped. Thus, using removal spells like Path to Exile or utilizing board wipes such as Wrath of God can effectively neutralize this threat before it begins to exile valuable pieces of your deck.

Another tactic is to prevent the Thief from ever reaching the battlefield. Counterspells are a crucial part of any MTG player’s arsenal, and timing them correctly can stop a Grimoire Thief in its tracks. Additionally, one can turn the tides by incorporating cards that punish your opponent for tapping creatures, or even better, cards like Pithing Needle which can entirely deactivate the ability of named cards.

Finally, it’s always helpful to have the mindset of adapting and recovering. A diverse deck, armed with a mix of removal, counters, and flexible strategies, can mitigate the impact of a Grimoire Thief and keep you one step ahead of your opponent’s gameplay. Understand your deck, prepare for challenges, and always have a contingency plan to preserve the integrity of your strategy.

Understanding Grimoire Thief’s Place Among Its Peers

The Grimoire Thief plays an intriguing role in the ecosystem of knowledge-gathering MTG cards. It shares a conceptual space with cards like Looter il-Kor, which also allows players to draw cards while engaging with opponents. However, Grimoire Thief introduces a unique disruption technique by exiling cards straight from your opponent’s library. This sets it apart from purely draw-focused cards, adding a strategic, controlling component to the gameplay.

Similar Cards

When stacking Grimoire Thief against its counterparts, one might consider Daring Saboteur for comparison. Both creatures have the ability to draw from the deck, yet Daring Saboteur’s strategy revolves around being unblockable and the player choice involved in drawing a card. Grimoire Thief, instead, acts as a built-in defense against opponent strategies while occasionally presenting a card advantage. Jace’s Mindseeker offers a different angle, providing a one-time flurry of potential card exiles upon entering the battlefield, yet lacks the repeatability that Grimoire Thief provides.

Within the realm of deck manipulation and advantage play, Grimoire Thief shines as a multi-use asset with the potential to remove key pieces from an opponent’s arsenal—an edge that can shift the tides of a match in favor of the wielder. This functionality positions it as a unique and valuable choice for players seeking to delicately balance offense with strategic gameplay.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Grimoire Thief MTG card by a specific set like Morningtide, 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 Grimoire Thief and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Grimoire Thief has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-04-01	If a split card is turned face up, the ability counters all spells with the same name as either side of that split card.
2008-04-01	The last ability counters all spells on the stack with any of the appropriate names, no matter who controls them.
2008-04-01	The only cards you turn face up are the cards exiled with the Grimoire Thief that was sacrificed.
2013-07-01	Once a player gains control of Grimoire Thief, that player can look at all cards it exiled, even if those cards were exiled while someone else controlled Grimoire Thief.
2013-07-01	Once a player is allowed to look at the exiled face-down cards, that player may continue to do so even after Grimoire Thief leaves the battlefield or another player gains control of it.