Reap Intellect MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Mythic
Type	Sorcery
Released	2013-05-03
Set symbol
Set name	Dragon's Maze
Set code	DGM
Number	95
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Steven Belledin

Key Takeaways

Reap Intellect excels in card advantage and strategic disruption, especially during later game stages.
Its specific mana cost requires strategic deck construction, favoring Dimir or multicolor decks for full efficacy.
When utilized properly, Reap Intellect can significantly alter the tempo of the game in your favor.

Text of card

Target opponent reveals his or her hand. You choose up to X nonland cards from it and exile them. For each card exiled this way, search that player's graveyard, hand, and library for any number of cards with the same name as that card and exile them. Then that player shuffles his or her library.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Reap Intellect offers a powerful option to deplete an opponent’s arsenal by forcing them to discard numerous cards, essentially stripping away their strategic options and boosting your own hand by indirectly maintaining more resources.

Resource Acceleration: Unlike traditional discard spells, Reap Intellect scales with your mana resources, allowing you to target more cards as your mana pool grows. This acceleration can be a game-changer in the mid to late game where you can maximize its potential.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Reap Intellect at instant speed provides strategic depth. You can respond to your opponent’s actions during their turn or at the end of their turn, ensuring you make the most informed decisions with the information at hand.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Reap Intellect forces the player to target an opponent, which means that its effectiveness is highly dependent on the opponent having a substantial hand size. If played against an opponent with few cards in hand, the card’s impact is significantly reduced, making it a situational choice.

Specific Mana Cost: Reap Intellect’s mana cost includes two colors – black and blue – making it predominantly suitable for Dimir or multicolor decks. Players running monocolored decks or those not aligned with these colors will find it difficult to incorporate without altering their mana base considerably, which could disrupt the deck’s overall consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a starting mana cost of three plus X, where X is the number of cards chosen from the target player’s hand and library, Reap Intellect can demand significant mana investment for a full payoff. This high cost means that by the time enough mana is available, the card may not have the same impact as it would earlier in the game when opponents’ hand sizes are larger, or the strategic advantage could be decisive.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Reap Intellect has a unique ability to disrupt opponents by selectively exiling cards from their hand and library. Its flexible mana cost means it can be adapted to various game stages to maximize its effect.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with strategies that benefit from knowledge of the opponent’s hand or that capitalize on diminishing their resources. It can be a linchpin in control decks that aim to outlast the opponent.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where players rely heavily on key cards to execute their strategy, Reap Intellect can be a decisive play. It’s particularly formidable in formats where players tend to build around specific combos or synergy-heavy decks.

How to beat

Reap Intellect is a unique card in Magic: The Gathering that targets an opponent and forces them to reveal their hand, enabling you to choose nonland cards from it and exile those cards. The potency of this card lies in its ability to disrupt your opponent’s strategy by removing key pieces from their game plan. To effectively counter Reap Intellect, it’s crucial to maintain a diverse hand, limiting the impact of any single card being exiled.

Another strategy is to prioritize playing your most important nonland cards early, before Reap Intellect can be cast. This diminishes its potential value significantly. Utilizing instant-speed spells and abilities that can draw or cycle through your deck can also help refill your hand, thereby mitigating the impact of Reap Intellect’s targeted exile effect.

Lastly, be wary of when you suspect your opponent might have Reap Intellect at the ready; keeping mana open for counterspells or any hand-disruptive play to prevent it from resolving can also swing the odds back in your favor. Recognizing the critical timing and having a versatile strategy are key in outmaneuvering Reap Intellect.

Cards like Reap Intellect

Reap Intellect stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a unique sorcery card that allows a player to target an opponent and exile any number of cards from their hand and graveyard. This card resembles Thoughtseize in its ability to disrupt an opponent’s game plan by removing key cards. However, Thoughtseize is limited to a single card and affects only the hand, whereas Reap Intellect can sweep across hand and graveyard alike.

Another relative to consider is Praetor’s Grasp. Like Reap Intellect, it can snatch a card from an opponent. Yet, it focuses on a single card from an opponent’s library rather than the broad sweep of hand and graveyard that Reap Intellect offers. Then we have Sadistic Sacrament, which also exiles cards from an opponent’s library. While it doesn’t touch the hand, it can exile up to fifteen cards if kicked, potentially crippling an opponent’s strategy far beyond what Reap Intellect can achieve.

Each of these cards fits into the category of disruption; they can all strategically weaken an opponent but through varied means and with different strengths. Reap Intellect’s versatility in targeting both hand and graveyard gives it a distinct place in a player’s arsenal for impacting the battlefield.

Cards similar to Reap Intellect by color, type and mana cost

Call of the Nightwing - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Reap Intellect MTG card by a specific set like Dragon's Maze, 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 Reap Intellect and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Reap Intellect has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-04-15	If you don’t exile any cards from the player’s hand, you don’t search that player’s library.
2013-04-15	Once Reap Intellect begins to resolve, no player can cast spells or activate abilities until it has completely resolved. For example, the opponent can’t cast any cards that would be exiled after their hand is revealed.
2013-04-15	You can choose to leave cards with those names in the zone they are in. You don’t have to exile them.