Brainspoil MTG Card


Brainspoil - Ravnica: City of Guilds
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Abilities Transmute
Released2005-10-07
Set symbol
Set nameRavnica: City of Guilds
Set codeRAV
Number78
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byTomas Giorello

Key Takeaways

  1. Versatile use as removal or to fetch specific mana cost cards enhances gameplay strategy.
  2. Transmute ability facilitates combo piece assembly or finding the right response.
  3. Demands careful play, suited for decks that can manage its mana and tactical requirements.

Text of card

Destroy target creature that isn't enchanted. It can't be regenerated. Transmute (, Discard this card: Search your library for a card with the same converted mana cost as this card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library. Play only as a sorcery.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Brainspoil offers versatility in both card filtering and removal. With its transmute ability, it can be exchanged for another card with the same mana cost, effectively ensuring you get the card you need when you need it. This can keep you ahead in terms of options available during gameplay.

Resource Acceleration: Although Brainspoil itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, the cards it can search for with the transmute ability may do so. By fetching key pieces that enable mana ramp or other resource-boosting effects, it indirectly contributes to your resource acceleration strategy.

Instant Speed: Brainspoil isn’t cast at instant speed, but its removal effect can still be crucial when timing disruptions. It is important to strategize the use of its destroy target creature with toughness 4 or greater ability to effectively clear a path for your strategy or to remove high-value targets at crucial moments in the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While not a direct disadvantage of Brainspoil itself, it’s important to consider that any card with a discard mechanic requires careful play. Should you require this card’s Transmute ability, the need to discard another spell instead can be a tactical setback.

Specific Mana Cost: Brainspoil demands a precise arrangement of mana—three generic and two black. For players not running a predominantly black deck, this can be a restrictive aspect, potentially limiting its inclusion to mono-black or black-heavy multicolor decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value of five, Brainspoil’s cost to destroy target creature without regeneration is steep, especially when other removal spells in the game may accomplish the same at a lower cost. This might compel players to evaluate other options in deckbuilding, reserving Brainspoil for more niche applications where its Transmute ability can be fully utilized.


Reasons to Include Brainspoil in Your Collection

Versatility: The card Brainspoil is not only an efficient removal spell but it also includes the transmute ability, allowing players to search their library for another card with the same mana cost. It’s an adaptable tool, fitting into decks that value removal and those that seek specific combo pieces.

Combo Potential: Thanks to its transmute feature, Brainspoil can be a key piece in setting up game-winning combinations. Whether it’s fetching a crucial combo piece or just the right response, this card is a silent workhorse in any combo-driven deck.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where certain creatures or enchantments dominate, having a reliable removal spell like Brainspoil can tip the scales in your favor. Its ability to adapt to evolving metagames makes it a smart addition to any strategic arsenal.


How to beat

Brainspoil is an intriguing card in the MTG universe, often utilized for its versatility. It serves both as creature removal and a way to find a valuable piece from your deck through its transmute ability. Defeating a deck that harnesses Brainspoil requires strategic planning. Key to outmaneuvering this card is maintaining a diverse array of threats. If your creatures vary significantly in terms of mana value, you can minimize the impact of Brainspoil’s removal ability which targets a creature with mana value 3 or less.

To counteract the transmute feature, consider playing cards that restrict your opponent’s ability to search their library or use graveyard interactions which can diminish the effectiveness of Brainspoil’s transmuting. Cards that offer hexproof to your creatures or counterspells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can protect your key pieces from being removed while also keeping your opponent’s toolbox in check. Always remember, ensuring a varied battlefield and understanding when to prevent your opponent’s key searches are crucial steps to tipping the scales in your favor against a Brainspoil-powered strategy.


Cards like Brainspoil

Brainspoil is an intriguing option within the removal spells in Magic: The Gathering, as it competes with cards like Mortify and Putrefy. Both of these alternatives offer instant targeted destruction of creatures or enchantments – in Mortify’s case – or creatures and artifacts for Putrefy. Brainspoil differentiates itself with its transmute ability, allowing players to discard it and search for another card with the same mana cost which introduces strategic deck searching.

Comparatively, we can look at a spell like Oblivion Strike, which operates in a different manner. Oblivion Strike exiles the creature, which could be decidedly more advantageous in a game where graveyard interaction is rampant. Though at a solid four mana cost and devoid of any option to double as a tutoring mechanism, it sits in a separate strategic niche than Brainspoil.

Ultimately, analyzing Brainspoil alongside its peers in the realm of creature removal, it stands out due to its unique transmute ability. This provides dual-purpose functionality, serving not only as a removal option but also enabling card consistency and strategic deck manipulation, which can be pivotal in many MTG game scenarios.

Mortify - MTG Card versions
Putrefy - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Strike - MTG Card versions
Mortify - Guildpact (GPT)
Putrefy - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Oblivion Strike - Oath of the Gatewatch (OGW)

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Brainspoil MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica: City of Guilds, 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 Brainspoil and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Brainspoil has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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