Psychic Pickpocket MTG Card

Grants card advantage through opponent hand disruption, pivotal for control and tempo deck strategies. Operates at instant speed, adding a layer of tactical flexibility and surprise to game play. High mana cost and specific colors may limit its inclusion, but benefits justify considerations.

Psychic Pickpocket - Streets of New Capenna

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Cephalid Rogue
Abilities	Connive
Released	2022-04-29
Set symbol
Set name	Streets of New Capenna
Set code	SNC
Power	3
Toughness	2
Number	54
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Will Gist

Text of card

When Psychic Pickpocket enters the battlefield, it connives. When it connives this way, return up to one target nonland permanent to its owner's hand. (To have a creature connive, draw a card, then discard a card. If you discarded a nonland card, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.)

Cards like Psychic Pickpocket

Psychic Pickpocket introduces a unique twist to the hand disruption field in Magic: The Gathering. It’s closely related to cards like Duress, which also targets an opponent’s hand, revealing it and allowing the caster to choose noncreature, nonland cards to discard. What sets Psychic Pickpocket apart is its situational blue ability to potentially cause a mind-bending exchange of resources between players.

Looking at another counterpart, we have Thoughtseize, which grants an even greater range by permitting the discarding of any nonland card at the cost of 2 life. However, Psychic Pickpocket is distinctive in that it manipulates the opponent’s draws on top of the traditional discarding effect. Then we have Pithing Needle, operating in a unique zone by preemptively shutting down the abilities of any card named upon its entry into the battlefield, providing a preventive rather than reactive approach compared to Psychic Pickpocket.

To encapsulate, Psychic Pickpocket may carve its niche in the interactive playstyle, blending disruption and card knowledge into a strategic advantage, positioning itself as a nuanced choice among its peers in the deep pool of hand attack spells in the game.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Psychic Pickpocket offers a distinct edge by allowing you to peek into your opponent’s hand, potentially discarding their key card while also drawing one of your own. This exchange can disrupt their strategy and bolster your own resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly producing mana or Treasure, Psychic Pickpocket can put you ahead by removing potential threats or answers from your opponent’s hand, indirectly accelerating your own game plan while slowing theirs.

Instant Speed: The card’s instant speed grants the versatility to act at the end of your opponent’s turn or in response to an action they take, making it a tactical tool that keeps your opponents on their toes and can significantly alter the course of a match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Psychic Pickpocket necessitates discarding a card as part of its play cost, potentially depleting your hand when you might need to maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting requires both blue and black mana, which can be restrictive and necessitates a two-color deck build to optimize its use.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that’s on the upper end for its abilities, you might find that there are other options within the game that execute similar effects with less mana investment, making it a less efficient choice in many scenarios.

Reasons to Include Psychic Pickpocket in Your Collection

Versatility: Psychic Pickpocket offers a unique blend of disruption and card advantage. It can seamlessly fit into blue-based control or tempo decks that thrive on hindering opponents while gaining incremental advantages.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes with mind games and library manipulation strategies. Combine it with cards that peek into an opponent’s hand or put cards on top of a player’s library to maximize its utility and disrupt key plays.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where players are loaded with high-impact spells, Psychic Pickpocket can tip the scales. It not only removes an essential piece from your opponent’s arsenal but also keeps your hand stocked, making it a timely addition to your strategic lineup.

How to beat

Psychic Pickpocket adds a nuanced layer to the gameplay dynamics within Magic: The Gathering. As a newcomer to Blue’s axis of control, its unique ability to glimpse into an opponent’s hand and pick a nonland card for later use challenges players to think ahead. Unlike cards that outrightly discard, Psychic Pickpocket’s effect is temporarily seizing information and resources without immediate gratification.

To effectively nullify the advantages provided by Psychic Pickpocket, players can employ various strategies. Hand disruption tools can preemptively remove key cards before Psychic Pickpocket gets a chance to operate, while hexproof or shroud abilities ensure valuable cards remain protected from such espionage. Additionally, instant-speed card draws can replenish a diminished hand in response to the theft, decreasing its impact. Deck redundancy or playing with less reliance on individual cards weakens the pickpocket’s power since having multiple copies makes the loss of one less critical.

Adapting to the presence of such tactical hurdles is what keeps Magic: The Gathering invigorating. In essence, Psychic Pickpocket demands a blend of precision and agile countermeasures, reiterating the need to anticipate an opponent’s tricks and adjust strategies accordingly. It’s this kind of interaction that underscores MTG’s cerebral appeal.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Psychic Pickpocket MTG card by a specific set like Streets of New Capenna, 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 Psychic Pickpocket and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Psychic Pickpocket has restrictions

Format	Legality
Standard	Legal
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Future	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2022-04-29	If a resolving spell or ability instructs a specific creature to connive but that creature has left the battlefield, the creature still connives. Abilities that trigger “when -hat creature] connives, such as that of Psychic Pickpocket, will trigger.
2022-04-29	If a resolving spell or ability instructs a specific creature to connive but that creature has left the battlefield, the creature still connives. If you discard a nonland card this way, you won't put a +1/+1 counter on anything. Abilities that trigger “when -hat creature] connives” will trigger.
2022-04-29	If no card is discarded, most likely because that player's hand is empty and an effect says they can't draw cards, the conniving creature does not receive a +1/+1 counter.
2022-04-29	Once an ability that causes a creature to connive begins to resolve, no player may take any other actions until it's done. Notably, opponents can't try to remove the conniving creature after you discard a nonland card but before it receives a counter.
2022-04-29	The target permanent to return is chosen after Psychic Pickpocket connives.