Rakshasa's Secret MTG Card
2014-09-26 - Number 84y
2014-09-26 - Number 84
2019-11-07 - Number 744
2020-09-26 - Number KTK-84
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Abilities | Mill |
Key Takeaways
- Card advantage is key, with forced discards tipping the scales during critical game phases.
- Rakshasa’s Secret indirectly manages resources, conserving your answers for future threats.
- Strategic timing can amplify its impact, making it as disruptive as instant-speed spells.
Text of card
Target opponent discards two cards. Mill two cards.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Rakshasa’s Secret pushes the notion of card advantage to a unique place by forcing an opponent to discard two cards while you’re enabled to delve away unnecessary cards from your own graveyard. This maneuver can tip the scales in your favor during the mid to late game phases.
Resource Acceleration: Although not directly contributing to mana acceleration, the card indirectly accelerates your resource management. By depleting an opponent’s hand, you’re effectively saving resources you’d otherwise need to counter or deal with threats on the board.
Instant Speed: While Rakshasa’s Secret isn’t an instant, its impact can be as disruptive as one. Deploying it at the right moment, ideally when an opponent’s hand is replenished, maximizes its potential, serving a critical blow to their strategy.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Utilizing Rakshasa’s Secret often forces a player to discard two cards alongside their opponent. This shared disadvantage can hinder your own hand while attempting to disrupt your opponent’s strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both black and generic mana, Rakshasa’s Secret’s casting cost demands dedication to black mana sources, potentially restricting deck-building flexibility and mana base consistency.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three mana, Rakshasa’s Secret is a considerable investment for the effect given, especially when compared to other discard spells that are more mana-efficient or offer additional value.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Rakshasa’s Secret can be integrated into various deck strategies, notably those aimed at disrupting opponents through hand disruption while simultaneously filling the graveyard, key for delve mechanics or other graveyard synergies.
Combo Potential: This card works as a cog in the machine for decks that thrive on diminishing opponents’ options while setting up for powerful plays that benefit from a stocked graveyard, such as facilitating powerful delve cards or enabling reanimator strategies.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state where hand size plays a critical role, Rakshasa’s Secret acts as a tool to level the playing field against decks that rely heavily on a variety of non-creature spells or decks that meticulously sculpt their perfect hand.
How to Beat Rakshasa’s Secret
Navigating the intricacies of MTG requires keen strategy, especially when countering impactful cards like Rakshasa’s Secret. Players must understand the card’s nuances; it forces an opponent to discard two cards, while delving through your graveyard, potentially disrupting your game plan. To maintain your advantage, proactive measures are essential. Adapting your play to hold onto key cards and prioritizing the usage of cards in hand before Rakshasa’s Secret is played will mitigate its effect on your strategy.
Moreover, incorporating cards that thrive from being in the graveyard, such as creatures with Unearth or Flashback spells, can turn a seeming disadvantage into a strategic boon. Cards with the Madness mechanic also synergize well, allowing you to benefit from the forced discard. It’s important to stay one step ahead and adapt your deck to contain elements that can either counteract or feed off your opponent’s disruption strategies. Keeping a watchful eye on the availability of Rakshasa’s Secret through graveyard tracking can prepare you for the times it may re-enter the fray.
Understanding and countering Rakshasa’s Secret is a testament to a player’s dexterity in MTG. By carefully managing your hand and leveraging graveyard synergies, you can outmaneuver this card’s disruptive power and keep your deck’s strategy intact.
Cards like Rakshasa's Secret
Delving into the realm of discarding and drawing in Magic: The Gathering, Rakshasa’s Secret stands out with its own nuances. Like Mind Rot, it forces the opponent to discard cards, which can abruptly disrupt their strategy. However, it diverges with an additional upside, milling the player’s own deck to fuel graveyard synergies. Mind Rot, conversely, strictly targets the opponent’s hand without affecting any player’s library.
Then there’s Unburden, akin to Rakshasa’s Secret, it also centers on the discard mechanism. While both demand that an opponent sheds cards from their hand, Unburden provides a cycling option, offering flexibility at times when you might not need to disrupt your opponent. This distinct trait enables players to adapt to varying game situations more effectively.
In sum, Rakshasa’s Secret occupies a strategic position in Magic: The Gathering’s landscape of discard spells. It strikes a delicate balance between offensive hand disruption and self-mill, a combination that could synergize within specific deck builds seeking to exploit their graveyard as a resource.
Cards similar to Rakshasa's Secret by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Rakshasa's Secret MTG card by a specific set like Khans of Tarkir and Khans of Tarkir, 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 Rakshasa's Secret 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
Printings
The Rakshasa's Secret Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2014-09-26 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2014-09-26 | Khans of Tarkir | KTK | 84y | 2015 | Normal | Black | Andrew Mar | |
| 2 | 2014-09-26 | Khans of Tarkir | KTK | 84 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 3 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 744 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 4 | The List | PLST | KTK-84 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Rakshasa's Secret has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
