Worst Fears MTG Card

Worst Fears offers control of an opponent’s turn, providing a substantial strategic advantage and disruptive potential. The card requires a specific mana cost and is a one-use effect, posing a strategic investment challenge. Its uniqueness and combo potential make it a compelling addition for various MTG control strategies.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	8
Rarity	Mythic
Type	Sorcery
Released	2014-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Journey into Nyx
Set code	JOU
Number	87
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Eric Deschamps

Text of card

You control target player during that player's next turn. Exile Worst Fears. (You see all cards that player could see and make all decisions for the player.)

Elspeth feared that her trespass into Nyx would not go unanswered.

Cards like Worst Fears

Worst Fears, a unique spell within the realm of Magic: The Gathering, invites intriguing comparisons with its capability to control an opponent’s next turn. This effect echos that of the infamous Mindslaver, a classic artifact with a similar mind-controlling feature. Still, Worst Fears differs by being a one-time sorcery, whereas Mindslaver requires a substantial mana investment both to play and activate its ability.

In terms of strategic depth, Worst Fears stands next to Cruel Entertainment, a sorcery causing two target players to control each other’s turns. Despite the shared control concept, Cruel Entertainment involves multiple players and offers a different tactical layer in multiplayer games. Emrakul, the Promised End also shares thematic ground by providing turn control and comes with the additional benefit of a powerful creature on the battlefield. Emrakul, however, carries a much higher mana cost, balanced by its ability to reduce that cost with card type diversity in your graveyard.

All things considered, Worst Fears may not be the most versatile when contrasted with its sorcery and creature counterparts, but it shines in providing a powerful, unexpected play by controlling a single opponent’s turn without any further investment.

Emrakul, the Promised End - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Worst Fears by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Worst Fears is played, you gain immediate control over an opponent’s next turn. This move can disrupt their strategy and provide you with critical insights about their hand, giving you a significant edge in the match.

Resource Acceleration: While Worst Fears doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it allows you to use your opponent’s resources against them. You can optimize your plays and potentially waste theirs, effectively setting them back while advancing your position on the board.

Instant Speed: Although Worst Fears is a sorcery, it permits you to dictate the pace of an entire turn for your opponent. This unparalleled control can be as disruptive as a well-timed instant, allowing you to counteract opponent threats before they materialize.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Worst Fears obligates players to operate under the predicament of a one-time powerful effect. This can be a strategic drawback when considering the potential surrender of a pivotal play later in the game, as no additional benefits are gained post-resolution.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost demands a stringent combination of seven colorless mana and one black. This exacting cost can be a stumbling block in decks that aren’t heavily skewed towards generating large amounts of mana or specifically tailored to mana-fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an eight mana total cost, Worst Fears is seen as an investment with a high threshold, competing with other potential late-game trump cards. This is especially relevant in environments where swiftness and momentum are key, and where other control options may contribute more consistently over the course of a match.

Reasons to Include Worst Fears in Your Collection

Versatility: Worst Fears stands out for its unique ability to take control of an opponent’s next turn. This exceptional power provides strategic versatility, allowing players to disrupt opponents’ plans in various formats.

Combo Potential: The card opens up intriguing combo possibilities, readily pairing with cards that can reset or replay it. Players can craft a lock-out scenario, where an opponent’s ability to act is severely restricted turn after turn.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where control decks thrive, being able to hijack crucial turns can decisively swing games in your favor. Worst Fears can be a game-changer against decks that rely heavily on specific turns to set up winning combos.

How to beat

Worst Fears is a card that can turn the tide of a Magic the Gathering game by allowing you to control an opponent’s next turn. Defeating this card requires strategic planning. One method to mitigate its impact is by utilizing instant-speed spells and abilities to empty your hand or use your mana before Worst Fears resolves, ensuring that your opponent gains minimal advantage from controlling your turn.

Counterspells also play a crucial role in protecting yourself from such powerful effects. Keeping mana open for spells like Negate or Dispel can be the difference between maintaining control of the game or falling victim to your opponent’s Worst Fears. Moreover, permanents with abilities to sacrifice themselves or other cards can avoid giving your adversary additional resources during your commandeered turn.

Always keep your ultimate game plan flexible and have alternate lines of play ready. Remember that speedy recovery from the effects of Worst Fears is as important as trying to preempt its casting, so focus on resilience and adaptability in your MTG strategy to ensure you’re well-equipped to bounce back even after your opponent plays their most daunting cards.

BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG is not just about understanding individual card advantages but also about strategic interactions and deck resilience. Worst Fears can be a tide-turner in your game, offering unique control over an opponent’s turn. However, this card also teaches the importance of counterplay and flexibility in deckbuilding. To deepen your MTG expertise and enrich your collection with cards that align with your strategy, delve further with us. Explore combos, refine your tactics, and adapt to the evolving gameplay. Enhance your deck, outwit your opponents, and embrace the full scope of MTG’s strategic depth. Dive in, and let’s optimize your play together.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Worst Fears MTG card by a specific set like Journey into Nyx, 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 Worst Fears and other MTG cards:

BUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Worst Fears has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2014-04-26	If the target player skips their next turn, you'll control the next turn the affected player actually takes.
2014-04-26	Multiple player-controlling effects that affect the same player overwrite each other. The last one to be created is the one that works.
2014-04-26	The player you're controlling is still the active player during that turn.
2014-04-26	While controlling another player, you also continue to make your own choices and decisions.
2014-04-26	While controlling another player, you make all choices and decisions that player is allowed to make or is told to make during that turn. This includes choices about what spells to cast or what abilities to activate, as well as any decisions called for by triggered abilities or for any other reason.
2014-04-26	You also can't make any choices or decisions for the player that would be called for by the tournament rules (such as whether to take an intentional draw or whether to call a judge).
2014-04-26	You can use only the affected player's resources (cards, mana, and so on) to pay costs for that player; you can't use your own. Similarly, you can use the affected player's resources only to pay that player's costs; you can't spend them on your costs.
2014-04-26	You can't make any illegal decisions or illegal choices—you can't do anything that player couldn't do. You can't make choices or decisions for that player that aren't called for by the game rules or by any cards, permanents, spells, abilities, and so on. If an effect causes another player to make decisions that the affected player would normally make (such as Master Warcraft does), that effect takes precedence. In other words, if the affected player wouldn't make a decision, you wouldn't make that decision on their behalf.
2014-04-26	You can't make the affected player concede. That player may choose to concede at any time, even while you're controlling them.
2014-04-26	You could gain control of yourself using Worst Fears, but unless you do so to overwrite someone else's player-controlling effect, this doesn't do anything.
2014-04-26	You only control the player. You don't control any of their permanents, spells, or abilities.
2016-07-13	Controlling a player doesn't allow you to look at that player's sideboard. If an effect instructs that player to choose a card from outside the game, you can't have that player choose any card.
2016-07-13	While controlling another player, you can see all cards in the game that player can see. This includes cards in that player's hand, face-down cards that player controls, and any cards in that player's library the player may look at.