Sadistic Hypnotist MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Minion
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Sadistic Hypnotist disrupts opponents, forcing discards and limiting their gameplay strategies effectively.
  2. The card’s instant speed ability offers tactical reactions to derail opponents during their own turns.
  3. While powerful, its usage comes with a cost, which includes sacrificing creatures and specific mana requirements.

Text of card

Sacrifice a creature: Target player discards two cards from his or her hand. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.

"Victory in the pits is almost as rewarding as the methods I use to achieve it."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sadistic Hypnotist offers a repeatable way to disrupt your opponents’ hands, essentially stripping them of resources while maintaining your own. Its ability to force each opponent to discard cards can swing the game in your favor, limiting their options while you capitalize on your lead.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly affecting mana, the Sadistic Hypnotist enables resource acceleration by fueling graveyard-based strategies. This synergizes with decks that benefit from having a high card turnover rate, whether that’s through recursion, threshold bonuses, or enabling delve and other graveyard mechanics.

Instant Speed: The power to activate Sadistic Hypnotist’s sacrificing ability at instant speed is a significant tactical advantage. This allows you to react to your opponents’ moves during their turn, waiting for the opportune moment to force discards, potentially negating their strategies and maintaining the upper hand.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Utilizing Sadistic Hypnotist comes at a significant cost, necessitating the sacrifice of a creature to activate its ability. This requirement can be particularly detrimental in situations where your board presence is crucial for maintaining control of the game.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost for Sadistic Hypnotist includes two black mana, which may not align with all deck strategies, especially in multicolored builds where mana flexibility is key to a smooth gameplay experience.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, Sadistic Hypnotist may come into play later than some players would prefer. When considering the pace of a match, the mana investment could potentially delay other pivotal plays, resulting in a loss of momentum.


Reasons to Include Sadistic Hypnotist in Your Collection

Versatility: Sadistic Hypnotist serves as a powerful utility in sacrifice-themed decks and can seamlessly integrate into strategies revolving around discard mechanics or graveyard play.

Combo Potential: This card excels at stripping opponents’ hands when combined with creatures that generate tokens, leveraging the sacrifice of multiple creatures for devastating effects.

Meta-Relevance: Within metagames where players rely heavily on hand resources, incorporating Sadistic Hypnotist can disrupt your opponents’ plans and give you a significant tactical advantage.


How to beat

Sadistic Hypnotist is a notorious card in MTG, known for its ability to relentlessly strip opponents of their hand, turn by turn. Facing off against this card can be daunting, as it poses a significant threat to your game plan with its discard capabilities. To effectively neutralize this peril, one must adopt a tactical approach that centers around removing or neutering it swiftly.

One strategy is to employ instant-speed removal spells that can take out the Hypnotist before its ability can be activated. Counterspells also prove effective, as preventing the Sadistic Hypnotist from hitting the battlefield in the first place is ideal. Players can also turn to graveyard-based strategies, which are less hindered by hand disruption and can operate efficiently even after being targeted by the Hypnotist’s ability.

Another key tactic is to keep the pressure on the Hypnotist’s controller, forcing them to expend resources that might otherwise be used to fuel the Hypnotist’s sadistic intentions. By maintaining a proactive stance and using these strategies, you can mitigate the Hypnotist’s influence and protect your hand from its insidious reach.


BurnMana Recommendations

Examining the Sadistic Hypnotist reveals a card that excels in the right conditions, leveraging your creatures into a powerful means of disrupting your opponents. It’s a strong choice for anyone looking to harness the strategies of sacrifice and discard to gain the upper hand. If your MTG ambitions lean towards controlling the game by dictating what your adversaries can or cannot play, then this card is a must-have. We encourage you to further explore strategic deck builds and synergies that can make Sadistic Hypnotist a linchpin of your arsenal. Dive deeper into our resources to refine your strategies and optimize your deck’s performance with this potent card.


Cards like Sadistic Hypnotist

Sadistic Hypnotist offers a unique twist in the realm of discard mechanics within Magic: The Gathering. It stands in the same field as Mind Slash but pushes the strategy further, allowing players to force an opponent to discard two cards for the sacrifice of a single creature. While Mind Slash also involves sacrificing creatures, it targets only one card, giving Sadistic Hypnotist a considerable advantage in depleting an opponent’s hand.

Another relative card is Liliana’s Specter, which causes each opponent to discard upon entering the battlefield. Although not repeatable without additional card mechanics, the Specter can influence the entire board with a single play. Despite this, the Hypnotist’s repeatable use overshadows the Specter’s one-time effect, making it highly favored in discard-themed decks.

To sum up, while there are other cards that create discard opportunities, Sadistic Hypnotist’s ability to repeatedly exploit creature sacrifices for substantial hand disruption sets it apart, solidifying its role as a powerful asset in discard-centric strategies in Magic: The Gathering.

Mind Slash - MTG Card versions
Liliana's Specter - MTG Card versions
Mind Slash - MTG Card versions
Liliana's Specter - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sadistic Hypnotist MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey and Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari, 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 Sadistic Hypnotist and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sadistic Hypnotist Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2001-10-01 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Paolo Parente.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-10-01OdysseyODY 1591997NormalBlackPaolo Parente
22012-09-07Duel Decks: Izzet vs. GolgariDDJ 622003NormalBlackPaolo Parente
32019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 7611997NormalBlackPaolo Parente
42020-09-26The ListPLST ODY-1591997NormalBlackPaolo Parente

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sadistic Hypnotist has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2013-04-15 If you cast this as normal during your main phase, it will enter the battlefield and you’ll receive priority. If no abilities trigger because of this, you can activate its ability immediately, before any other player has a chance to remove it from the battlefield.

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