Disruptive Student MTG Card

Urza's Saga (USG)
1998-10-12 - Number 69

Disruptive Student - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)

Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
1999-11-12 - Number 21

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Wizard
Power	1
Toughness	1

Key Takeaways

Optimizes card advantage and control, but demands wise hand management to avoid self-disadvantage.
Flexible in blue-centric decks, though limited by specific mana requirements reducing broad utility.
Can significantly affect game dynamics, ideally included in control strategies to disrupt opponents.

Text of card

oc T: Counter target spell unless its caster pays an additional o1. Play this ability as an interrupt.

"Teferi is a problem student. Always late for class. No appreciation for constructive use of time." —Barrin, progress report

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Engaging in the intricate dance of resources is crucial, and Disruptive Student excels by offering recurring opportunities to disrupt your opponent’s hand. Slight in cost, but mighty in effect, this card efficiently allows deeper strategy and higher chances of maintaining control over the flow of the game.

Resource Acceleration: Despite not directly generating mana or tokens, Disruptive Student’s ability to potentially remove a key card from any player’s hand indirectly accelerates your resources by keeping your opponent’s board and hand at bay. By mitigating threats early on, it helps ensure that your plays are the ones guiding the pace of the match.

Instant Speed: Boasting versatility that only instant speed can provide, Disruptive Student can be wielded during your opponent’s turn, making it a tactical asset. The capability to interfere with an adversary’s maneuvers at a moment’s notice makes this card a formidable tool in the right hands, providing dual benefits of surprise and strategic advantage.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Disruptive Student forces players to discard another card as an additional cost to cast certain spells. This could potentially leave you at a disadvantage, especially if your hand is already depleted or if you’re relying on specific cards for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Disruptive Student requires a precise mana arrangement to be played effectively. Since it needs blue mana, it may not be versatile enough for decks that aren’t heavily skewed towards blue mana pools, therefore limiting its adaptability across varied deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a higher mana demand compared to other creatures with similar disruptive abilities, Disruptive Student could be considered a less economic choice for players looking to optimize their mana efficiency. There are cards available with lower mana requirements that provide similar or even better utility on the board.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Disruptive Student offers flexible counterplay, easily fitting into blue-based control decks or those needing to thwart opponent’s spells as they cast.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes with strategies that reward you for casting during your opponent’s turn or help set up counterspell contingencies, further empowering instant-speed interactions.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where stack battles are frequent or predictable, Disruptive Student can be a crucial component to gaining the upper hand and disrupting tightly woven play sequences.

How to beat

Disruptive Student presents an intriguing challenge in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, with the ability to tap any artifact, creature, or land by simply paying one blue mana and tapping the Student itself. While this can prove to be a thorn in the side for many strategies, it is not insurmountable.

To effectively counter Disruptive Student, it would be wise to incorporate cards that can either bypass its tapping ability or remove it from the battlefield entirely. Removal spells that can target creatures, such as Murder or Path to Exile, are straightforward solutions. Alternatively, spells that render abilities useless, like Pithing Needle, ensure that Disruptive Student becomes harmless. Additionally, incorporating instant speed spells in your strategy allows you to play on your opponent’s turn, minimizing the impact of Disruptive Student’s control over the board.

In essence, dealing with this peculiar card requires a mix of timing and precise card choices, which, when done right, can neutralize the control it seeks to exert, allowing you to maintain the upper hand in the game.

Cards like Disruptive Student

Disruptive Student shines in the arena of Magic: The Gathering as a creature card with an academic twist. It has a unique ability to tap and counter an opponent’s spell unless they pay one more mana, which echoes the abilities of classic counterspells. Its closest relative in terms of functionality is the infamous Rishadan Cutpurse. While the Cutpurse can force opponents to sacrifice a permanent whenever it comes into play, the Student’s power lies in its repeatable use throughout the game, albeit with less immediate impact.

Another parallel is drawn from Patron Wizard, a card that also allows you to tap wizards you control to counter spells unless their caster pays additional mana. Although requiring a board presence of other wizards, this card can potentially turn an entire tribe into an arsenal of soft counters. On the teaching side of things, Disruptive Student acts independently and can be a nuisance from its first turn on the battlefield.

Despite these comparisons, what makes Disruptive Student stand out is the blend of its modest mana cost with the strategic depth it adds by forcing opponents to plan around its activation, making it a respectable option for control decks in Magic: The Gathering.

Rishadan Cutpurse - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Disruptive Student MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and Battle Royale Box Set, 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 Disruptive Student and other MTG cards: