Hideous Laughter MTG Card


Hideous Laughter - Champions of Kamigawa
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant — Arcane
Abilities Splice
Released2004-10-01
Set symbol
Set nameChampions of Kamigawa
Set codeCHK
Number115
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byGreg Staples

Key Takeaways

  1. Exiles cards based on total converted mana cost, influencing the game’s momentum in your favor.
  2. Instant speed allows for strategic responses and surprise disruptions during an opponent’s turn.
  3. Can hinder or strengthen your late-game strategy depending on your hand and mana availability.

Text of card

All creatures get -2/-2 until end of turn. Splice onto Arcane (As you play an Arcane spell, you may reveal this card from your hand and pay its splice cost. If you do, add this card's effects to that spell.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Hideous Laughter enables a significant potential shift in card advantage as it exiles cards from your opponent’s library until they hit a total converted mana cost of 20 or more. This could eliminate a large chunk of their resources, giving you an edge as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing resource acceleration, the card disrupts your opponent’s future draws. By thinning out an opponent’s deck, you indirectly accelerate toward your win conditions by making it more likely they draw into less useful cards.

Instant Speed: This spell’s capability to be cast at instant speed lets you respond to your opponent’s actions with precision. Act on their end step or in response to a strategy they are committing to, Hideous Laughter can be a disruptive play that takes them by surprise and shifts the game momentum in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The effectiveness of Hideous Laughter hinges on having a full hand, as it could compel you to discard valuable cards, potentially weakening your late-game strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card calls for both blue mana and a generic mana in its cost, which may not be immediately accessible in multi-colored decks not focused on blue mana generation.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost that includes three mana, including two blue, some players might find it a bit steep compared to other disruption or control options available for earlier turns in the game.


Reasons to Include Hideous Laughter in Your Collection

Versatility: Hideous Laughter can serve multiple roles within your deck, adapting to both aggressive and controlling strategies. It’s able to handle a swarm of smaller creatures or simply thin the opponent’s resources, making it a flexible pick for diverse game plans.

Combo Potential: This card can synergize with mill strategies, enhancing the effectiveness of other mill cards. It can also be a cornerstone in decks that capitalize on the opponent’s graveyard, enabling potent combinations that can turn the tide of a match.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta-game that’s heavy on creature-based aggro strategies, Hideous Laughter can be a game-changer. It’s capable of disrupting the tempo of your opponent’s deck, removing multiple threats with a single spell, which can be a decisive factor in winning games.


How to beat

Hideous Laughter plays a disruptive role within MTG, posing a challenge for opponents as it potentially removes a large portion of their library from the game. To counteract this effect, one strategic response is to utilize a deck with a higher average mana value for its cards. Since Hideous Laughter affects cards based on their mana values, decks with a higher curve are less susceptible to losing an extensive number of cards.

Another tactic is implementing graveyard retrieval spells or abilities. Having cards like Elixir of Immortality or utilizing graveyard-to-hand or -to-battlefield mechanics can help recover from the potential damage caused by Hideous Laughter. Additionally, decks with strong shuffle effects can put cards back into the library, mitigating the depletion caused by this potent sorcery.

Lastly, countering Hideous Laughter directly with counterspell cards is an efficient solution. Timing these counterspells correctly can preserve crucial deck components and maintain your game plan. Knowing when to hold back and play conservatively against decks that feature Hideous Laughter can make the difference between victory and being outlasted by this formidable card.


Cards like Hideous Laughter

The card Hideous Laughter in Magic: The Gathering is a unique form of crowd control, changing the battlefield dynamics in a single swoop. When seeking parallels, we find that Maddening Cacophony is a fellow card that evokes a similar mill strategy, forcing the opponent to exile cards from their library. However, Hideous Laughter operates based on the converted mana costs of the cards, potentially milling more for less if your opponent’s deck runs on low-cost spells.

Another related spell is Glimpse the Unthinkable, famed for its efficiency in the mill player’s arsenal. This spell indiscriminately sends cards to the graveyard, assuredly ten at a time. Although Glimpse the Unthinkable is straightforward with its predictable results, Hideous Laughter could potentially outpace it depending on the opponent’s deck composition.

Tasha’s Hideous Laughter stands out among these for its possible exponential effect against decks with a lower curve or those packed with numerous low-cost cards. Delving into the strategy of deck matchup, the efficiency of Hideous Laughter can be felt immensely, emphasizing the need for tactical deck building in MTG.

Maddening Cacophony - MTG Card versions
Glimpse the Unthinkable - MTG Card versions
Tasha's Hideous Laughter - MTG Card versions
Maddening Cacophony - Zendikar Rising Promos (PZNR)
Glimpse the Unthinkable - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Tasha's Hideous Laughter - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos (PAFR)

Cards similar to Hideous Laughter by color, type and mana cost

Sewers of Estark - MTG Card versions
Feast or Famine - MTG Card versions
Slaughter - MTG Card versions
Nocturnal Raid - MTG Card versions
Psychotic Haze - MTG Card versions
Insidious Dreams - MTG Card versions
Hagra Mauling // Hagra Broodpit - MTG Card versions
Death Pulse - MTG Card versions
Irradiate - MTG Card versions
Burden of Greed - MTG Card versions
Shriveling Rot - MTG Card versions
When Fluffy Bunnies Attack - MTG Card versions
Chill to the Bone - MTG Card versions
Ravenous Trap - MTG Card versions
Snuff Out - MTG Card versions
Tendrils of Corruption - MTG Card versions
Instill Infection - MTG Card versions
Launch Party - MTG Card versions
Grisly Spectacle - MTG Card versions
Fatal Fumes - MTG Card versions
Sewers of Estark - HarperPrism Book Promos (PHPR)
Feast or Famine - Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari (DDJ)
Slaughter - Exodus (EXO)
Nocturnal Raid - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Psychotic Haze - Torment (TOR)
Insidious Dreams - Torment (TOR)
Hagra Mauling // Hagra Broodpit - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Death Pulse - Onslaught (ONS)
Irradiate - Mirrodin (MRD)
Burden of Greed - Darksteel (DST)
Shriveling Rot - Darksteel (DST)
When Fluffy Bunnies Attack - Unhinged (UNH)
Chill to the Bone - Coldsnap (CSP)
Ravenous Trap - The List (PLST)
Snuff Out - Doctor Who (WHO)
Tendrils of Corruption - The List (PLST)
Instill Infection - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Launch Party - Jumpstart (JMP)
Grisly Spectacle - Iconic Masters (IMA)
Fatal Fumes - Dragon's Maze (DGM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hideous Laughter MTG card by a specific set like Champions of Kamigawa, 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 Hideous Laughter and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hideous Laughter has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-06-07 A card with a splice ability can’t be spliced onto itself because the spell is on the stack (and not in your hand) when you reveal the cards you want to splice onto it.
2013-06-07 If all of the spell’s targets are illegal when the spell tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen.
2013-06-07 You choose all targets for the spell after revealing cards you want to splice, including any targets required by the text of any of those cards. You may choose a different target for each instance of the word “target” on the resulting spell.
2013-06-07 You reveal all cards you intend to splice at the same time. Each individual card can be spliced only once onto any one spell.

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