Thought Distortion MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Released	2019-07-12
Set symbol
Set name	Core Set 2020
Set code	M20
Number	117
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	David Palumbo

Key Takeaways

Thought Distortion can alter the game by removing opponents’ noncreature, nonland resources, giving you a strategic edge.
It requires careful deck construction to optimize, considering its specific mana cost and six-mana casting requirement.
Its uniqueness lies in exiling multiple threats at once, making it valuable against highly spell-reliant decks.

Text of card

This spell can't be countered. Target opponent reveals their hand. Exile all noncreature, nonland cards from that player's hand and graveyard.

"The skull is rigid, but the mind is so deliciously supple." —Eromena the Mind Render

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thought Distortion can significantly disrupt your opponent’s hand and strategy by exiling all of their noncreature, nonland cards. This move can tilt the balance in your favor by depleting their resources and potential answers to your gameplay.

Resource Acceleration: Although Thought Distortion itself does not directly accelerate resources, casting it effectively removes key resources from your opponent. This indirect form of resource manipulation can put you ahead, especially if it strips away their card-drawing spells or mana ramps.

Instant Speed: While Thought Distortion isn’t an instant, its impact can be as pivotal as an instant-speed disruption. It allows you to pre-emptively deal with your opponent’s counterspells and instant-speed interaction before they can be used against you, giving you a clear path for your own strategy.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Thought Distortion, the Magic the Gathering card, demands a strategic deck setup. Without a reliable discard engine or a way to counterbalance the loss, players might find the card disrupting their hand more than their opponent’s.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a combination of black mana and generic mana to cast. Players exclusively running decks with a variety of colors may struggle to gather the necessary mana combination, especially in the early game, limiting when and how they can use Thought Distortion effectively.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of six mana, including four generic and two black, Thought Distortion sits on the higher end of the mana curve. This can be a setback in faster-paced games where early advantage is crucial. More affordable alternatives might not have the same impact but could be cast earlier, giving players a quicker advantage.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Thought Distortion’s non-counterable nature allows it to be a powerful sideboard option in decks that struggle against control strategies. Its impact on the opponent’s hand and graveyard can be significant in multiple formats.

Combo Potential: For decks relying on the opponent’s graveyard or spell casting, Thought Distortion can clear the way for your own combo by disrupting your opponent’s plans. This gives it synergistic potential with various strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In environments heavy with non-creature spells, Thought Distortion becomes a precious tool. By removing key pieces from your opponent’s arsenal, it offers a critical advantage in the match-up, making it a timely addition to any collection.

How to beat

Thought Distortion is an intriguing non-creature spell that presents a unique challenge in Magic: The Gathering. Players familiar with cards like Duress or Thoughtseize recognize the power of stripping away an opponent’s hand and strategy. Thought Distortion operates on a grander scale, targeting an opponent’s entire hand and graveyard, and exiling all non-creature spells. It’s a devastating move against decks heavily reliant on non-creature magic, capable of upending an opponent’s plan and leaving them without crucial answers or combos.

Overcoming Thought Distortion requires foresight. Diversify your deck with a balance of creature and non-creature spells to reduce its impact. Consider also adding cards that can counter such disruption or quickly recover valuable spells from the graveyard. Eerie Interlude and Tale’s End can be effective counters to mitigate the damage Thought Distortion might do. Alternatively, employing instant-speed spells to draw or recover cards from your graveyard before Thought Distortion resolves can help salvage your strategy. Therefore, flexibility and quick recovery are key when facing this potent denial card.

Additionally, Thought Distortion is a six mana spell, leaving a window of opportunity to outpace or disrupt it before it hits the board. Optimize your mana curve, and prepare for Thought Distortion by applying early pressure or setting up defenses that mitigate its potential damage to your hand and future plays.

Cards like Thought Distortion

Thought Distortion is a unique spell in the world of Magic: The Gathering that presents a novel approach to disrupting an opponent’s strategy. It bears comparison to other non-creature spells that also target the hand or library, such as Duress or Inquisition of Kozilek. These cards allow for targeted discard, giving players the chance to remove specific threats from an opponent’s hand. However, Thought Distortion offers a wider net by exiling all non-creature spells from the opponent’s hand and library where Duress and Inquisition of Kozilek only affect the hand and a limited selection at that.

Similarly, Slaughter Games is another card that removes the chance for opponents to play their game-changers by naming a card and exiling any copies of it from the opponent’s hand and library. Thought Distortion, on the other hand, doesn’t require naming a card and removes a broader array of potential threats. Nonetheless, Slaughter Games can be cast using either red or black mana, adding flexibility. While both are effective, Thought Distortion excels in the late game where it can devastate an opponent’s remaining resources.

Analyzing such comparisons helps players understand where Thought Distortion sits in terms of control elements and deck-building strategy within the broader context of the game.

Inquisition of Kozilek - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thought Distortion MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020, 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 Thought Distortion and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Thought Distortion has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Commander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2019-07-12	A spell or ability that counters spells can still target Thought Distortion. When that spell or ability resolves, Thought Distortion won’t be countered, but any additional effects of that spell or ability will still happen.
2019-07-12	If the target player is an illegal target by the time Thought Distortion tries to resolve, the spell won’t resolve and will be put into its owner’s graveyard with no effect. This is true even though it can’t be countered.