Compulsion MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Compulsion facilitates card advantage by allowing tailored hand selection through strategic discarding and drawing.
  2. Instant speed activation of Compulsion offers tactical responses to opponents, enhancing in-game adaptability.
  3. While Compulsion enriches deck versatility, it requires precise mana and can increase mana costs over time.

Text of card

o1o U, Discard a card from your hand: Draw a card. o1o U, Sacrifice Compulsion: Draw a card.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Compulsion offers a consistent mechanism to convert any card in your hand into a new one from your library, thus tailoring your hand to better suit your current game strategy.

Resource Acceleration: Though it doesn’t create mana or tokens directly, cycling through your deck more efficiently can lead to quicker access to your necessary resources.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Compulsion at instant speed gives you the flexibility to adapt to an evolving game state, responding aptly to your opponents’ actions without losing momentum.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Inherent to Compulsion’s ability is the mandate to discard a card to harness its effect. This can potentially deplete your hand, leaving you at a disadvantage if you’re not able to maintain a healthy card count.

Specific Mana Cost: Deploying Compulsion to the battlefield requires a precise mana arrangement, including blue mana. This can constrain the card’s utility primarily to blue-centric or blue-inclusive decks, potentially excluding it from a wide array of strategies that don’t operate with blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial investment of two mana to cast and an additional cost every time its ability is activated, Compulsion’s value proposition becomes less attractive when pitted against other cards in the MTG universe that offer similar or better card filtering capabilities at a lower overall mana expenditure.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Compulsion offers a unique blend of flexibility for many deck types. Being able to cycle through cards efficiently makes it a solid choice for decks that thrive on card synergy and consistency.

Combo Potential: As a card that allows for drawing and discarding, it has the potential to be a cog in various combo engines, enabling strategies that capitalize on graveyard interactions or card draw triggers.

Meta-Relevance: With decks in the current meta often relying on carefully curated hand contents, Compulsion can be a game-changer by helping you dig for answers or set up crucial plays.


How to beat

Overcoming the unique mechanics of Compulsion in Magic: The Gathering requires strategic depth and an understanding of its dual nature. As a card that provides steady card filtering, players need to anticipate the extended value it gives over several turns. The ability to convert unwanted cards in hand to potential new solutions is its key strength, and disrupting this flow can tilt the scales in your favor.

Addressing Compulsion effectively means either speeding up your gameplay to outpace the card advantage it provides or employing targeted removal to eliminate it from the battlefield. Artifact or enchantment destruction spells are direct answers. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant can remove Compulsion from the game before its value stacks up. Alternatively, applying pressure with a fast-paced, aggressive strategy can also leave Compulsion’s controller behind as they may be forced to choose between utilizing Compulsion’s ability and responding to threats on the board.

Ultimately, recognizing the tempo that Compulsion sets is vital. Players must choose whether to race against it or interrupt it with precise card removal. Deciding on the right approach during deck building or in the heat of the match will be key to turning the tides against a Compulsion-based strategy in a game of Magic: The Gathering.


Cards like Compulsion

Compulsion, a blue enchantment card in Magic The Gathering, stands as an interesting piece within the repertoire of filtering cards available to players. This card allows a player to pay a small cost, discard a card, and then draw a card, offering a consistent way to sift through the deck in search of key components for their strategy. A well-known parallel to Compulsion is Thirst for Knowledge. While Thirst for Knowledge provides an immediate advantage, drawing three cards at once, it comes as a single-use instant and requires discarding two cards unless an artifact is discarded.

Another analogous card to consider is Frantic Search which, like Compulsion, allows you to draw cards and then discard, but also untaps lands, potentially accelerating your game plan without losing mana tempo. Frantic Search is quick but is a one-time-use instant. Conversely, Compulsion provides sustained card selection over several turns, though at the cost of potentially more mana investment in the long run.

Assessing these options, Compulsion can be a wise choice for decks that benefit from consistent card filtering and can afford the repeated mana costs. Its utility in enabling card quality over quantity differentiates it notably from its counterparts, making it a distinctive pick among MTG filtering cards.

Thirst for Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Frantic Search - MTG Card versions
Thirst for Knowledge - Mirrodin (MRD)
Frantic Search - Urza's Legacy (ULG)

Cards similar to Compulsion by color, type and mana cost

Copy Artifact - MTG Card versions
Invisibility - MTG Card versions
Power Leak - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Terrain - MTG Card versions
Creature Bond - MTG Card versions
Stasis - MTG Card versions
Lifetap - MTG Card versions
Power Artifact - MTG Card versions
Psychic Venom - MTG Card versions
Venarian Gold - MTG Card versions
Soar - MTG Card versions
Flooded Shoreline - MTG Card versions
Dance of Many - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Veil - MTG Card versions
Legacy's Allure - MTG Card versions
Chill - MTG Card versions
Buoyancy - MTG Card versions
Mana Maze - MTG Card versions
Psionic Gift - MTG Card versions
Immobilizing Ink - MTG Card versions
Copy Artifact - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Invisibility - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Power Leak - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Phantasmal Terrain - Invasion (INV)
Creature Bond - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Stasis - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Lifetap - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Power Artifact - Antiquities (ATQ)
Psychic Venom - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Venarian Gold - Legends (LEG)
Soar - Mirage (MIR)
Flooded Shoreline - Visions (VIS)
Dance of Many - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Teferi's Veil - Weatherlight (WTH)
Legacy's Allure - Tempest (TMP)
Chill - Tempest (TMP)
Buoyancy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Mana Maze - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Psionic Gift - Odyssey (ODY)
Immobilizing Ink - Odyssey (ODY)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Compulsion MTG card by a specific set like Torment and World Championship Decks 2003, 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 Compulsion and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Compulsion Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2002-02-04 and 2023-09-08. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-02-04TormentTOR 341997normalblackChristopher Moeller
22003-08-07World Championship Decks 2003WC03 dz342003normalgoldChristopher Moeller
32023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting TalesWOT 152015normalborderlessAeron Ng

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Compulsion has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
GladiatorLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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