Ingenious Thief MTG Card

Portal (POR)
1997-05-01 - Number 58

Starter 1999 (S99)
1999-07-01 - Number 40

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human Rogue
Abilities	Flying
Power	1
Toughness	1

Key Takeaways

Delivers valuable card draw, granting players consistent access to more options for strategic play.
Enables faster gameplay by interacting with artifacts to unlock additional abilities or mana.
Brings adaptable play with flash, surprising opponents or serving as an unexpected blocker.

Text of card

Flying When Ingenious Thief comes into play from your hand, look at your opponent's hand.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ingenious Thief shines in settings where drawing more cards is crucial to outpacing your opponent. By netting an extra card upon entering the battlefield or when it attacks, it bolsters your hand, ensuring that you’re seldom devoid of options.

Resource Acceleration: The card interacts seamlessly with artifacts, potentially untapping them to reuse their abilities or for mana generation. This interaction can significantly speed up your game plan, allowing for quicker deployment of threats or answers.

Instant Speed: This rogue operative brings versatility by having flash, allowing you to deploy it at the most opportune moment. Whether it’s surprising an opponent during their end step or using it as a blocker when they least expect it, its instant speed elevates your tactical play.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Ingenious Thief may require players to discard a card, a potential setback if your hand is already depleted or if the card discarded is of significant strategic importance for your gameplay.

Specific Mana Cost: This card entails a certain combination of mana colors which can create limitations. Decks not running these specific mana types might find it challenging to integrate the Ingenious Thief seamlessly.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment to deploy Ingenious Thief may be steep when considering other options available. Players often assess the cost-benefit ratio of a card and looking at alternative cards within the same mana range could offer greater value or impact on the game state.

Reasons to Include Ingenious Thief in Your Collection

Versatility: Ingenious Thief’s ability to adapt to multiple play styles makes it a valuable asset. Whether you’re running a control deck seeking to stall the game and gain incremental advantages, or an aggro deck aiming for quick, efficient plays, this card offers subtleties that can tip the scales in your favor.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combinations, particularly in decks that manipulate the number of cards each player holds. It can accelerate your game plan by synergizing with other cards that reward you for drawing or forcing opponents to draw, thus opening avenues for potential combo wins.

Meta-Relevance: Its relevance in the current metagame can’t be overstated. With a growing trend towards hand-size manipulation and drawing strategies, Ingenious Thief can become a linchpin in decks that exploit these elements, making it a timely addition to your arsenal.

How to beat Ingenious Thief

The Ingenious Thief card stands out in MTG for its ability to disrupt your opponent’s strategy by snatching away a pivotal tool from their deck. Taking on this elusive character, the first order of business is to recognize the importance of card visibility. Providing you have a clear view of your hand and what you’re up against, you can better prepare for and counter the Thief’s tricks.

To effectively combat Ingenious Thief, players should look to employ instant-speed removal spells that can be played in reaction to its summoning. Having a variety of such spells, including those that can target creatures with low toughness or hexproof capabilities, ensures you’re ready for any stealthy move. Furthermore, utilizing counter-magic to prevent the Thief from ever entering the battlefield in the first place is a sound strategy. Cards with the ability to exile or continually lock down creatures also serve to hamper the effectiveness of this nuisance. Given proper preparation and reaction speed, conquering Ingenious Thief becomes a manageable task.

In conclusion, emerges as a capable card when it comes to seizing your opponent’s precious assets. However, through vigilant deck construction and strategic play, one can mitigate the risks posed by such stealthy interlopers and maintain control over the game.

Cards like Ingenious Thief

The Ingenious Thief card in Magic: The Gathering stands out in the rogue category with its ability to take advantage of opponents’ strategies. Much like the Thief of Sanity, the Ingenious Thief allows players to peek into an opponent’s deck. However, Thief of Sanity requires dealing combat damage before letting you cast a card from the opponent’s hand. Ingenious Thief instead lets you play with cards in hand during each upkeep, which provides a more consistent pressure and strategic advantage.

Shadowmage Infiltrator is another comparable card, well-known for its card drawing ability upon dealing combat damage. Ingenious Thief differs by encouraging a more aggressive hand disruption tactic. Lastly, Gonti, Lord of Luxury is worth mentioning, sharing a similar ‘play with opponent’s resources’ approach but restricted to a one-time use, unlike the repeatable potential of the Ingenious Thief. While each card has its own strengths, the Ingenious Thief is unique in its persistent and tactical reveal of an opponent’s intentions, supporting players keen on control and psychological edge during the game.

In balancing utility and versatility, the Ingenious Thief presents an interesting role in MTG decks, combining elements of foresight and disruption to elegantly impair opponents, and shines in formats that value information and hand disruption.

Shadowmage Infiltrator - MTG Card versions

Gonti, Lord of Luxury - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Ingenious Thief by color, type and mana cost

Soratami Cloudskater - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ingenious Thief MTG card by a specific set like Portal and Starter 1999, 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 Ingenious Thief and other MTG cards: