Identity Crisis MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery
Released	2009-04-30
Set symbol
Set name	Alara Reborn
Set code	ARB
Number	81
Frame	2003
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Thomas M. Baxa

Key Takeaways

Identity Crisis strips opponents’ hands and graveyards, shifting card advantage in your favor.
Indirect resource acceleration comes at a high discard and mana cost.
Excellent fit in control decks, counters graveyard-based strategies effectively.

Text of card

Remove all cards in target player's hand and graveyard from the game.

"To join our ranks, one must be pure. To be pure, one must be blessed by etherium. To be blessed, one must forget oneself." —Ethersworn prayer

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Identity Crisis excels at depleting an opponent’s resources by exiling all cards from their hand and graveyard. This denies them a plethora of potential draws and plays, thus shifting the card advantage balance significantly in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While Identity Crisis does not produce mana or tokens directly, its ability to strip away an opponent’s future land plays and mana-generating cards can indirectly accelerate your position by setting them back on their resources.

Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Identity Crisis requires strategic planning for the most impactful play, and while not at instant speed, its timely execution during your turn can dismantle any strategic setup your opponent may have been planning for their upcoming moves.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Serving as a pivotal element of gameplay, Identity Crisis necessitates the hefty price of discarding an additional card. For players navigating the complexities of resource management, this can sometimes translate into a tough sacrifice, particularly when the arsenal of options in their hand is already running thin.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting requirement that calls for a precise blend of white and black mana, Identity Crisis secures its position predominantly within the realm of dual-colored decks. This specificity could deter mono-colored strategists or those who champion a more diverse color wheel in their battle tactics.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at a substantial four mana investment, the card places demands on your resources that could potentially overshadow its strategic benefits. When assessing the vast landscape of options available, savvy players may pinpoint alternate cards that deliver a similar impact without the steep mana curve.

Reasons to Include Identity Crisis in Your Collection

Versatility: Identity Crisis shows its adaptability by fitting seamlessly into control or disruption decks. This card excels by handling opponents’ graveyard strategies which are prevalent in many game formats.

Combo Potential: It pairs well with cards that capitalize on opponents having fewer resources, working to dismantle combo decks or to set up conditions for your win-con.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where strategies hinge on graveyard recursion or decks that rely on a variety of cards in the graveyard to function, Identity Crisis can serve as a powerful silver bullet.

How to beat

Identity Crisis packs a punch in Magic: The Gathering, stripping an opponent’s hand and graveyard of all cards, which can destabilize anyone’s game plan. When facing this power card, the key is to anticipate and prepare. Always keep a watchful eye on your mana and have counterspells at the ready to disrupt its casting. Since it’s a sorcery, prioritize holding up mana during your opponent’s turn once they reach six mana — the crucial point where Identity Crisis can come into play.

Additionally, consider diversifying your threats on the board. Since Identity Crisis does not deal with creatures on the battlefield, maintaining a strong presence can keep the pressure on your opponent even if your hand and graveyard are hit. Cards with flashback or other forms of recursion can also mitigate the impact, allowing you to still utilize your graveyard resources after an Identity Crisis sweep. With careful play, and by balancing counterplays and threats, you can navigate around the disrupting effects of Identity Crisis and maintain control of the game.

Cards like Identity Crisis

Identity Crisis stands out in the Magic: The Gathering arena as a distinctive spell with a potent effect targeted at disrupting an opponent’s game plan. It shares the stage with other impactful hand and graveyard disruption cards such as Slaughter Games. While Slaughter Games focuses on preventing specific cards from being cast, Identity Crisis takes an exhaustive approach by stripping away all cards from an opponent’s hand and graveyard in a single move. Another contestant in the realm of disruption is Cranial Extraction, which allows precise targeting of nonland cards within a player’s deck, whereas Identity Crisis lacks this pinpoint accuracy.

Moreover, Extirpate and Surgical Extraction are both surgical in their approach, with the ability to target single cards and then purge any copies from the game, these spells operate at instant speed and with a lower mana cost. They don’t have the sweeping effect on both hand and graveyard like Identity Crisis. Still, they offer a more reactive and less expensive solution for disrupting an opponent.

Given this view, Identity Crisis might not be the go-to for all situations, yet it is particularly devastating in scenarios where a vast and immediate stripping of resources is needed, setting it apart from its counterparts in terms of impact and potential game swinging consequences.

Slaughter Games - Return to Ravnica (RTR)

Cranial Extraction - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)

Surgical Extraction - New Phyrexia Promos (PNPH)

Cards similar to Identity Crisis by color, type and mana cost

Consecrate // Consume - MTG Card versions

Merciless Eviction - Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander (ONC)

Start // Finish - Amonkhet Remastered (AKR)

Consecrate // Consume - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)

Rise of Extus - Strixhaven: School of Mages (STX)

Covetous Elegy - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Identity Crisis MTG card by a specific set like Alara Reborn, 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 Identity Crisis and other MTG cards: