Riddlekeeper MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Homunculus
Abilities Mill
Power 1
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Riddlekeeper grants card advantage by milling opponents’ decks when they attack, potentially diminishing their resources.
  2. Its milling effect at sorcery speed is always active, posing a constant threat without extra mana costs.
  3. While versatile and meta-relevant, Riddlekeeper’s specific mana and high cost may limit its integration in decks.

Text of card

Whenever a creature attacks you or a planeswalker you control, that creature's controller puts the top two cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

Fools surrender their sanity to his riddles. Even greater fools try to solve them.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Riddlekeeper increases your card advantage by forcing opponents to mill their deck each time they attack, this potentially reduces their choices while adding to your advantage providing you the upper hand.

Resource Acceleration: Although Riddlekeeper doesn’t actively accelerate mana resources, it has an indirect influence in resource acceleration by taking away your opponent’s resources. Each attack leads to your rivals losing their cards, effectively slowing their game down whilst accelerating yours.

Instant Speed: Even though Riddlekeeper operates at sorcery speed, its persistent effect influences each turn as an automatic trigger for an opponent’s attack, similar to an instant. The benefit of this is that it’s always active, influencing the game without having to spend extra mana or a card slot in your hand.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Riddlekeeper requires a card to be discarded as part of its activation cost. If you’re running low on cards, this additional discard can prove counterproductive and may leave you open to aggressive strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: Riddlekeeper needs a diverse set of mana to be cast effectively, including blue. This color-specific requirement may limit its integration, especially in mono-color decks or multicolor decks where blue is not a primary focus.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of three, including one blue mana, deploying Riddlekeeper can be quite expensive. There are indeed other alternatives in the same cost range that could offer more immediate value or a more effective game strategy.


Reasons to Include Riddlekeeper in Your Collection

Versatility: The Riddlekeeper can efficiently fit into numerous deck types, especially those that gravitate towards milling opponents. As a creature with a remarkable ability to target an opponent’s library directly, this choice extends the tactical range of your deck.

Combo Potential: This card’s milling ability strengthens when combined with other damage-inflicting or hand-discarding tactics. The ability of Riddlekeeper to make an opponent put two cards from their library into the graveyard offers ample synergies and boosts your strategic prowess exponentially.

Meta-Relevance: Given the current meta-game with a strong emphasis on advance-play decks, the strategic advantage provided by Riddlekeeper could hold considerable sway. By inducing opponents into a gradual loss of resources, it effectively counters control or long-game strategies prevalent in the Meta.


How to beat

Riddlekeeper is a highly strategic card in Magic: The Gathering that excels at triggering mill mechanics, thus disrupting the opponent’s deck. Its special ability allows it to remove cards from your opponent’s deck every time it’s attacked. However, this does not make it invincible. Knowledge is power in MTG, and being aware of what to expect from the Riddlekeeper can significantly increase your chances of neutralizing its value.

One way of countering the Riddlekeeper is through spells or creatures that provide an immunity to your deck. Cards like Elixir of Immortality or Feldon’s Cane can effectively prevent milling. Similarly, using cards that benefit from graveyards like Geth, Lord of the Vault or Bag of Holding can turn the tide in your favor.

Keep in mind also, Riddlekeeper’s strength lies in its defensive potential, yet it’s relatively weak in terms of attack. Fielding high-power creatures or using direct damage spells to remove it from the battlefield early can disrupt opponent’s mill strategy significantly.

As you see, while Riddlekeeper is indeed a creature of conundrums in MTG, it’s far from unbeatable once you familiarize yourself with effective tactics.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’ve enjoyed our deep dive into the nuanced abilities of Riddlekeeper, why not continue to sharpen your MTG strategies with us? Discovering secrets to outmaneuver opponents, optimizing your deck, and learning about card synergies can profoundly improve your gameplay. Whether you need guidance on building a resilient deck that withstands the Riddlekeeper’s milling capability or seek to wield this cunning card to its fullest potential, our insights can help. Satisfy your strategic cravings and uncover formidable combos with us at BurnMana, where every match can be a masterclass in MTG savviness.


Cards like Riddlekeeper

The Riddlekeeper is an intriguing card in MTG, that stands quite distinctively in a category of its own. It shares semblance with other mill cards such as Hedron Crab and Mesmeric Orb. The commonality lies in forcing opponents to put their cards from library to the graveyard. Yet, Riddlekeeper makes an impactful presence with its exceptional ability. Every time an opponent attacks, they are required to mill a card for each creature attacking you.

Another notable comparison can be made with the Mindcrank card, which also involves milling mechanism, but with a different trigger. With Mindcrank, whenever an opponent loses life, they mill that many cards. It’s powerful but is contingent upon damage dealing capabilities of your deck.

Moving on to more cost-effective comparisons, Jace’s Erasure comes into picture. it’s effective with a cost of merely two mana. It requires you to have a strong card draw, but if paired with the right support, it can very well deny opponents of their cards.

In conclusion, when analyzing power, cost, and the value of each mill, Riddlekeeper has a unique place in MTG, as it provides an effective milling ability while preserving your defenses against opponent attacks.

Hedron Crab - MTG Card versions
Mesmeric Orb - MTG Card versions
Mindcrank - MTG Card versions
Jace's Erasure - MTG Card versions
Hedron Crab - Zendikar (ZEN)
Mesmeric Orb - Mirrodin (MRD)
Mindcrank - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Jace's Erasure - Magic 2011 (M11)

Cards similar to Riddlekeeper by color, type and mana cost

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Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions
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Wall of Water - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Prodigal Sorcerer - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Apprentice Wizard - The Dark (DRK)
Homarid - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Wall of Air - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Daring Apprentice - Mirage (MIR)
Cloud Elemental - Visions (VIS)
Time Elemental - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Reef Pirates - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Rootwater Shaman - Tempest (TMP)
Wind Drake - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Volrath's Shapeshifter - Stronghold (STH)
Clam Session - Unglued (UGL)
Stronghold Biologist - Nemesis (NEM)
Quicksilver Wall - Prophecy (PCY)
Phantom Warrior - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)
Wormfang Drake - Judgment (JUD)
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - Commander Legends (CMR)
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Riddlekeeper MTG card by a specific set like Commander 2011 and Commander Anthology Volume II, 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 Riddlekeeper and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Riddlekeeper Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2011-06-17 and 2018-06-08. Illustrated by Steve Prescott.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 592003normalblackSteve Prescott
22018-06-08Commander Anthology Volume IICM2 482015normalblackSteve Prescott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Riddlekeeper has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2011-09-22 Riddlekeeper doesn’t impose a cost to attack. Creatures can attack you or a planeswalker you control even if their controller has no cards left in their library.

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