Thought Harvester MTG Card

Thought Harvester - Oath of the Gatewatch

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Eldrazi Drone
Abilities	Devoid,Flying
Released	2016-01-22
Set symbol
Set name	Oath of the Gatewatch
Set code	OGW
Power	2
Toughness	4
Number	48
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Winona Nelson

Key Takeaways

Thought Harvester enables card advantage and disrupts opponents with its library-targeting abilities.
Its high mana cost and specific color requirements may limit its versatility in deck building.
Strategic removal and graveyard manipulation are effective countermeasures against Thought Harvester.

Text of card

Devoid (This card has no color.) Flying Whenever you cast a colorless spell, target opponent exiles the top card of his or her library.

"I never thought I'd miss the gomazoa." —Trinda, Hada spy patrol

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thought Harvester shines by potentially disrupting your opponent’s deck while simultaneously enabling you to draw from your own. This can tip the scale in your favor by offering superior card options during the match.

Resource Acceleration: With its ability to thin out an opponent’s resources, Thought Harvester indirectly accelerates your resource advantage, as opponents may struggle to find the answers they need, while you stay ahead on the board.

Instant Speed: While this creature doesn’t operate at instant speed, its effect whenever you exile a card from an opponent’s library can occur on either player’s turn, especially when combined with other instant-speed exile spells in your arsenal. This interaction allows for a level of unpredictability and tactical advantage against your adversary.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To unlock its full potential, Thought Harvester requires you to discard a card, which can deplete your hand particularly when resources are already dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: A demand for blue mana means this card is best suited for decks that can reliably produce that color, potentially restricting its versatility across various deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Deck strategies prosper on efficiency, and Thought Harvester’s mana cost might overshadow its utility when weighed against other cards with similar effects but lesser mana demands.

Reasons to Include Thought Harvester in Your Collection

Versatility: Thought Harvester offers unique utility in any deck looking to manipulate or take advantage of opponents’ draws or libraries. Its role in milling and flying defense makes it a useful asset in multiple strategies.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with effects that exile cards from the opponent’s hand or library, enhancing the impact of such strategies. Its ability can also work seamlessly with processors if you’re employing an Eldrazi-themed deck enabling you to utilize the exiled cards.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where information is power, Thought Harvester can be tailored for metagames heavy on combo or control decks, inhibiting opponents from assembling their key pieces while you benefit from their exiled cards.

How to beat

Thought Harvester introduces a unique challenge for Magic: The Gathering players with its ability to chip away at an opponent’s library while also being a formidable flyer. Facing off against this card, players should consider efficient removal options. Cards like Doom Blade or Murder can handle the creature at a relatively low cost. Additionally, players should be alert to instant-speed removal such as Lightning Bolt to eliminate Thought Harvester before its triggered ability causes significant damage to their strategy.

Incorporating graveyard manipulation can also serve as a safeguard against mill strategies. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt offer a simple solution to nullify the effects of cards being put into the graveyard. Understanding the mechanics of Thought Harvester is key – it’s not just about removing the creature, but also about protecting one’s library and maintaining card advantage. A well-timed Counterspell could prevent Thought Harvester from entering the battlefield altogether, which is a simple yet effective way to maintain control.

Ultimately, with the right combination of removal, counters, and library protection, players can mitigate the impact of Thought Harvester and maintain dominance over the game.

Cards like Thought Harvester

Thought Harvester brings a unique twist to the roster of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering. It can be placed in contrast with cards like Drowner of Hope which also has the ingest ability. Thought Harvester benefits from exiling cards from the opponent’s library whenever you cast a colorless spell, meddling with their strategy subtly over time. Drowner of Hope, however, leans toward controlling the battlefield by sacrificing tokens to tap opposing creatures.

Another relative is Ulamog’s Nullifier, bearing ingest and the processor mechanic, adding a layer of tactical disruption. While Thought Harvester works to steadily deplete the opponent’s library, Ulamog’s Nullifier leverages exiled cards to counter opponent spells, often turning the tide. On the other hand, Sire of Stagnation taps into the landfall domain, granting card draw and library exiling whenever an opponent’s land enters the battlefield, setting up potential library depletion and card advantage simultaneously.

Weighing the utilities and impacts, Thought Harvester secures a niche within the eldrazi archetype. Its incessant milling via casting offers a strategic edge that can cause continuous problems for any adversary it faces in the match.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thought Harvester MTG card by a specific set like Oath of the Gatewatch, 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 Thought Harvester and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Thought Harvester has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2016-01-22	The Battle for Zendikar colorless creature cards Blight Herder and Ruin Processor each have an ability that triggers when you cast it that allows you to put a card owned by an opponent from exile into that player’s graveyard. Both that ability and Thought Harvester’s ability trigger at the same time, so you can put them on the stack in any order. If Thought Harvester’s ability resolves first (meaning it went on the stack last), the card exiled by that ability can be “processed” by the other ability.
2016-01-22	The card is exiled face up.
2016-01-22	The triggered ability will resolve before the colorless spell that caused it to trigger.