Mirror-Mad Phantasm MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Creature — Spirit |
| Abilities | Flying |
| Released | 2011-09-30 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Innistrad |
| Set code | ISD |
| Power | 5 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 68 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Howard Lyon |
Key Takeaways
- Mirror-Mad Phantasm enables powerful self-mill, fueling graveyard synergies and strategic plays.
- Its utility shines in blue-heavy decks yet requires careful mana and hand management.
- Amidst similar cards, this creature stands out for its high-risk, high-reward milling potential.
Text of card
Flying : Mirror-Mad Phantasm's owner shuffles it into his or her library. If that player does, he or she reveals cards from the top of that library until a card named Mirror-Mad Phantasm is revealed. The player puts that card onto the battlefield and all other cards revealed this way into his or her graveyard.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Mirror-Mad Phantasm offers a unique card advantage by enabling self-mill strategies. When activated, the ability shuffles itself into the deck and potentially mills a substantial number of other cards, which can be crucial for setting up graveyard synergies.
Resource Acceleration: Although it doesn’t directly create mana or treasure, Mirror-Mad Phantasm accelerates your game plan in decks designed to capitalize on having numerous cards in the graveyard, essentially turning your graveyard into a resource-rich extension of your hand.
Instant Speed: While the activated ability of Mirror-Mad Phantasm can’t be used at instant speed, its triggers from being targeted allow you to adapt to opponents’ spells. This sets up unexpected interactions and can disrupt opponents’ strategies by reshuffling it back into your library unpredictably.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Utilizing Mirror-Mad Phantasm demands strategic hand management, as it can lead to situations where essential cards are discarded unintentionally. This can especially hamper game plans that rely on maintaining a robust hand for situational responses or combo execution.
Specific Mana Cost: With its need for two blue mana, this card fits predominantly into blue-centric or blue-heavy decks, thereby reducing its flexibility across various deck types. It’s essential to consider your mana base’s capability to consistently provide the necessary blue sources when including Mirror-Mad Phantasm in your deck.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing a total of five mana, including the specific blue requirement, this card comes into play later than many other utility creatures. In faster-paced games or environments where tempo is key, the mana investment could be a setback when compared to the pace of other potentially lower-cost options available in the format.
Reasons to Include Mirror-Mad Phantasm in Your Collection
Versatility: Mirror-Mad Phantasm finds a place in blue decks that want to manipulate their own libraries. This creature offers a unique way to shuffle your deck, which can be a tactical move in various situations, ensuring that your gameplan remains fluid and unpredictable.
Combo Potential: With its ability to mill a large number of cards into the graveyard, this card becomes a key component in graveyard-centric strategies. Its synergy with reanimator themes or any strategy looking to capitalize on a well-stocked graveyard is undeniable, setting the stage for powerful plays.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where graveyard strategies are prevalent, Mirror-Mad Phantasm gains significant relevance. Its self-mill ability enables you to rapidly fill the graveyard, which is essential for powering up spells and creatures that thrive on the number of cards in your graveyard, directly impacting the board state.
How to beat Mirror-Mad Phantasm
Mirror-Mad Phantasm holds a unique position as a creature within Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to shuffle itself into a library and potentially mill a significant number of cards can be a double-edged sword. Therefore, combating this card requires a strategy to either prevent its activation or mitigate its milling effect. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt offer a simple solution by exiling a player’s graveyard, ensuring any milled cards don’t compound into a graveyard strategy win condition.
Alternatively, instant-speed removal spells such as Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile can effectively handle the Phantasm before its ability is utilized, thus preventing the potential for a self-mill strategy to develop. Additionally, countering the creature spell with counterspells like Mana Leak ensures that the Phantasm never impacts the board state. Cards like Grafdigger’s Cage can also provide a passive countermeasure by preventing creatures from being cast from libraries, effectively neutralizing the Phantasm’s milling ability.
Ultimately, understanding the timing and interaction of spells and abilities in relation to Mirror-Mad Phantasm’s activation is key to preventing this card from becoming a dominant force on the game board.
Cards like Mirror-Mad Phantasm
Mirror-Mad Phantasm is an intriguing creature in the MTG universe, echoing other cards with self-mill abilities. Comparable to the likes of Deranged Assistant, Mirror-Mad Phantasm takes this concept further by potentially milling an enormous chunk of a player’s library. Unlike the Assistant’s controlled mill of one card per activation, Mirror-Mad Phantasm can be a high-stakes gamble, with the outcome varying wildly each time its ability is used.
Another card, Hedron Crab, shares the mill strategy but operates differently. It triggers upon landfall, providing a more consistent and predictable milling effect. The Crab, though not self-targeting, can be a reliable source of self-mill when paired with multiple land drops. In contrast, Chronic Flooding is enchantment-based, allowing a player to mill whenever the enchanted land is tapped. However, it lacks the immediate, large impact that Mirror-Mad Phantasm can have in a single activation.
Each card aligns with different strategies, but it’s clear that Mirror-Mad Phantasm offers a unique blend of risk and reward for players aiming to leverage their graveyard for an advantage, marking it as a distinctly powerful choice for those willing to dance with chance in their MTG deck-building endeavors.
Cards similar to Mirror-Mad Phantasm by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Mirror-Mad Phantasm MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad, 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 Mirror-Mad Phantasm and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Mirror-Mad Phantasm has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Mirror-Mad Phantasm card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2011-09-22 | If another creature (such as Necrotic Ooze) gains Mirror-Mad Phantasm’s activated ability, its owner reveals cards until they reveal a card named Mirror-Mad Phantasm. |
| 2011-09-22 | If no card named Mirror-Mad Phantasm is revealed (possibly because it was a card copying Mirror-Mad Phantasm or it was a token), all cards from that library will be put into their owner’s graveyard. |
| 2011-09-22 | You can only activate the ability if you control Mirror-Mad Phantasm, even if you don’t own it. |
