Soaring Thought-Thief MTG Card


Soaring Thought-Thief - Zendikar Rising
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Rogue
Abilities Flying,Mill, Flash
Released2020-09-25
Set symbol
Set nameZendikar Rising
Set codeZNR
Power 1
Toughness 3
Number236
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byLie Setiawan

Key Takeaways

  1. Soaring Thought-Thief excels in milling strategies, fueling your own plays and depleting opponents’ resources.
  2. Instant speed play and rogue synergy provide versatility and surprise factor in gameplay.
  3. However, specific mana needs and discard mechanics may be a drawback for some decks.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash Flying As long as an opponent has eight or more cards in their graveyard, Rogues you control get +1/+0. Whenever one or more Rogues you control attack, each opponent mills two cards.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Soaring Thought-Thief enhances your card advantage by milling the top two cards of an opponent’s library each time a rogue you control attacks. Not only does this deplete their resources, but also fuels your own strategies that benefit from having more cards in your opponent’s graveyard.

Resource Acceleration: This card helps to accelerate your resource management in-game. By increasing the number of cards in your opponent’s graveyard, Soaring Thought-Thief potentially boosts the power of your rogues, allowing for quicker and more effective plays that can overwhelm your adversary.

Instant Speed: As a creature with flash, Soaring Thought-Thief can be summoned at instant speed, giving you the element of surprise and the flexibility to respond to threats at the most opportune moments or to boost your offensive capabilities unexpectedly during your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Soaring Thought-Thief doesn’t directly force you to discard, but working with a rogue-focused deck usually involves cards with discard mechanisms which might lead you to sacrifice valuable hand assets to enable its abilities.

Specific Mana Cost: This card has a split mana cost of blue and black, which demands a dedicated two-color deck and might not seamlessly fit into multicolor builds without the specific mana base to consistently cast it.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While still relatively low at two mana, in the aggressive decks where Soaring Thought-Thief is most at home, every mana point counts. Other one-mana rogues could potentially perform early game actions more efficiently.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Soaring Thought-Thief is a flexible addition to any collection because it can slide easily into Rogues-themed decks or any blue-black builds looking for evasive creatures. Its ability to disrupt opponent’s strategies while chipping in for damage each turn makes it a solid role-player in various deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: Soaring Thought-Thief works exceptionally well with other Rogue cards, allowing you to exploit synergies that mill your opponent while simultaneously strengthening your forces. Its static ability accentuates the prevalent mill strategies, turning each Rogue into a potential threat.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where graveyard interactions are at a premium, Soaring Thought-Thief not only hampers opponents’ plans by milling cards but also grows stronger with every card in the enemy graveyard. It’s an ideal pick in environments where the dimension of library disruption and graveyard play is of strategic importance.


How to beat Soaring Thought-Thief

The Soaring Thought-Thief can be quite the menace in mid-game, especially when coupled with other rogues that incrementally damage your life total and edge your deck closer to oblivion. This clever creature feeds off the mill strategy, empowering not just itself but its rogue companions with an attack bonus that chips away at your defenses each time it swings in. Its ability to grow your opponent’s rogues creates a consistent threat if left unchecked.

To counteract the adversary’s strategy, focus on removal spells. Consider utilizing instant speed removal such as Fatal Push or Bloodchief’s Thirst to dispatch Soaring Thought-Thief before its mill ability triggers. Ensnaring it with sorcery speed removal is also viable, but be cautious, as this gives the opponent a chance to respond and potentially protect their rogue. Providing sufficient graveyard hate in your deck, something along the lines of Tormod’s Crypt or Grafdigger’s Cage, can also severely dampen the Soaring Thought-Thief’s edge by disrupting the mill synergy.

In essence, with strategic removal spells and well-placed graveyard hate, you can protect your library from this devious creature, maintaining control of the game flow and safeguarding your life total from stealthy rogue assaults that Soaring Thought-Thief empowers.


BurnMana Recommendations

With the versatility of Soaring Thought-Thief in MTG, it’s clear that this card is a game-changer for rogue-centered decks. Adding it to your collection can significantly enhance your gameplay, allowing you to capitalize on the benefits of milling opponents while strengthening your attack power. As we’ve unpacked the ins and outs of this card, why not further refine your expertise? Visit our platform for deep dives into strategy, deck building, and the latest meta trends. Don’t just play—outsmart and outplay with BurnMana as your guide to MTG dominance.


Cards like Soaring Thought-Thief

Soaring Thought-Thief is an intriguing option within the rogue archetype in Magic: The Gathering. It bears a resemblance to other evasive creatures such as Ghostly Pilferer. While both cards possess the ability to disrupt an opponent’s strategy, Soaring Thought-Thief stands out with its party synergy. It powers up other rogues you control, much like the effect seen on the more costly, Zareth San, the Trickster.

Analogously, Nighthawk Scavenger is another creature that capitalizes on opponents’ cards being in graveyards, offering a variable power increase, although it lacks the mill potential of Soaring Thought-Thief. Furthermore, Thieves’ Guild Enforcer presents a similar deck-thinning strategy, with the added bonus of immediately growing in power and toughness, rather than scaling with the rogues’ party size.

In summary, while there are various options for players building around a rogue theme, Soaring Thought-Thief offers a unique blend of milling power and team buffing, making it an exceptional choice for decks that seek to undermine the opponent’s strategy while bolstering their own forces.

Ghostly Pilferer - MTG Card versions
Zareth San, the Trickster - MTG Card versions
Nighthawk Scavenger - MTG Card versions
Thieves' Guild Enforcer - MTG Card versions
Ghostly Pilferer - Core Set 2021 Promos (PM21)
Zareth San, the Trickster - Zendikar Rising Promos (PZNR)
Nighthawk Scavenger - Zendikar Rising Promos (PZNR)
Thieves' Guild Enforcer - Core Set 2021 (M21)

Cards similar to Soaring Thought-Thief by color, type and mana cost

Zuran Enchanter - MTG Card versions
Vodalian Hypnotist - MTG Card versions
Metathran Zombie - MTG Card versions
Dimir Guildmage - MTG Card versions
Dimir Infiltrator - MTG Card versions
Lurking Informant - MTG Card versions
Inkfathom Witch - MTG Card versions
Sygg, River Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Zombie Outlander - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Hibernation Sliver - MTG Card versions
Drowned - MTG Card versions
Woodlot Crawler - MTG Card versions
Returned Phalanx - MTG Card versions
Shipwreck Singer - MTG Card versions
Disciple of Deceit - MTG Card versions
Fathom Feeder - MTG Card versions
Shadowstorm Vizier - MTG Card versions
House Guildmage - MTG Card versions
Lazav, the Multifarious - MTG Card versions
Zuran Enchanter - Ice Age (ICE)
Vodalian Hypnotist - Invasion (INV)
Metathran Zombie - Invasion (INV)
Dimir Guildmage - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Dimir Infiltrator - Planechase Anthology (PCA)
Lurking Informant - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Inkfathom Witch - New Capenna Commander (NCC)
Sygg, River Cutthroat - The List (PLST)
Zombie Outlander - Conflux (CON)
Vedalken Ghoul - Alara Reborn (ARB)
Hibernation Sliver - Commander Masters (CMM)
Drowned - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Woodlot Crawler - Dragon's Maze (DGM)
Returned Phalanx - Masters 25 (A25)
Shipwreck Singer - The List (PLST)
Disciple of Deceit - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
Fathom Feeder - Battle for Zendikar Promos (PBFZ)
Shadowstorm Vizier - Amonkhet Remastered (AKR)
House Guildmage - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
Lazav, the Multifarious - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Soaring Thought-Thief MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar Rising, 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 Soaring Thought-Thief and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Soaring Thought-Thief has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-09-25 An ability that offers a bonus if an opponent has eight or more cards in their graveyard won’t provide additional benefits if more than one opponent has eight or more cards in their graveyard. There are also no additional benefits no matter how many cards are in an opponent’s graveyard, as long as there are at least eight.
2020-09-25 In a multiplayer game, once an opponent leaves the game, they won’t be considered for such an effect, no matter how many cards they had in their graveyard before leaving the game.
2020-09-25 Soaring Thought-Thief’s fourth ability causes each opponent to mill two cards, not just those being attacked by Rogues you control.
2020-09-25 Soaring Thought-Thief’s third ability applies to itself as well as other Rogues you control.

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