Unmask MTG Card

Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
1999-10-04 - Number 168

From the Vault: Lore (V16)
2016-08-19 - Number 15

Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
2019-12-02 - Number 413

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number MMQ-168

Card sets	Released in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery

Key Takeaways

Unmask offers card advantage by previewing and discarding from the opponent’s hand, upsetting their strategy.
Its alternate cost of exiling a black card from your hand provides a unique resource acceleration tactic.
Being instant speed, Unmask adds flexibility to gameplay, allowing responses on the opponent’s turn.

Text of card

You may remove a black card in your hand from the game instead of paying Unmask's mana cost. Look at target player's hand and choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Unmask plays a crucial role in giving you the upper hand by allowing you to look at an opponent’s hand and select a non-creature card to be discarded. This move can significantly disrupt their strategy while keeping your card count high.

Resource Acceleration: What truly sets Unmask apart is its alternate cost, which allows you to exile a black card from your hand instead of paying its mana cost. This unconventional mode of payment accelerates your resource allocation, enabling you to deploy other spells in your arsenal more efficiently.

Instant Speed: Operating at instant speed, Unmask provides the flexibility to respond to imminent threats or gain strategic information at a crucial time during your opponent’s turn, ensuring that you are always one step ahead.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unmask necessitates discarding a card from your hand, a move that can be costly when you’re clinging to vital resources. It can be particularly detrimental if you’re behind and need every card to mount a comeback.

Specific Mana Cost: Demanding two black mana makes Unmask restrictive and potentially clunky in multicolored or hybrid decks. It can sometimes result in a dead draw if you’re struggling to achieve the right mana base in-game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Unmask offers the ability to be cast for free, when paid with mana, four mana is a significant investment. This high cost can be disadvantaging, considering other disruption tools available that may impact the board at a lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include Unmask in Your Collection

Versatility: Unmask offers a unique approach to disruption, fitting smoothly into black-centric control or combo decks. Its ability to be cast for an alternative cost of exiling a black card from your hand gives it flexibility in various game situations without paying mana, making it easy to weave into your game plan.

Combo Potential: By stripping key cards from your opponent’s hand, Unmask can effortlessly clear the way for your own combo pieces to resolve unhindered. It is a preemptive strike that can dismantle opposing strategies before they come online, aligning perfectly with decks aiming to win through intricate combos.

Meta-Relevance: Given its nature to disrupt opponent strategies early in the game, Unmask is consistently relevant in environments where hand information and control are crucial. Whether you are facing combo decks or control archetypes, the ability to remove threats before they are cast can be game-defining.

How to beat

Unmask is a unique magic spell in the pantheon of Magic: The Gathering. This card allows a player to look at an opponent’s hand and then choose a nonland card from it for them to discard, without paying its mana cost at the expense of exiling a black card from your hand. The sheer power of Unmask lies in its ability to disrupt your adversary’s strategy at no mana cost, making it a formidable tool in the right hands.

To effectively counter Unmask, players must cleverly manage their hand, holding onto redundant cards or ones with low impact to minimize the potential damage. Utilizing instant-speed cantrips that draw cards can also refill your hand after an Unmask, potentially replacing the lost resource. Moreover, cards with cycling or madness can turn the potential disadvantage of discarding into an advantage. It’s vital to be aware that cards with hexproof from black spells or cards that can’t be targeted by opponents’ spells and abilities are immune to Unmask’s effect, making them strategic includes in your deck construction.

In essence, while Unmask can be a daunting threat, a well-prepared deck and strategic play can mitigate its impact, ensuring your key pieces of strategy remain safe and keeping you ahead in the game of wits and wills that is Magic: The Gathering.

Cards like Unmask

Unmask is an intriguing option in the realm of hand disruption spells in Magic: The Gathering. It resonates with the likes of Thoughtseize, which targets an opponent’s hand forcing them to discard a card of your choosing. However, Unmask boasts a unique edge by offering an alternative casting cost that allows you to exile a black card from your hand instead of paying its mana cost. Thoughtseize does not share this alternative cost feature but is more cost-effective in terms of initial mana investment.

Cards such as Duress also fall under the same umbrella, targeting noncreature, nonland cards in an opponent’s hand. Unlike Unmask, Duress is limited in what it can target but it’s advantageous for its lower casting cost and the lack of needing to exile a card from your hand. In terms of broader impact, Inquisition of Kozilek provides a similar yet restricted effect, allowing you to look at an opponent’s hand and discard a card with a converted mana cost of 3 or less, making it efficient against low to medium-cost spells.

Assessing the utility and flexibility against its peers, Unmask stands out as a strong choice in decks that can afford the alternative cost, particularly in strategies that benefit from cards being in exile or with a surplus of black cards in hand.

Inquisition of Kozilek - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Unmask by color, type and mana cost

Terisiare's Devastation - MTG Card versions

Wet Willie of the Damned - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Unmask MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques and From the Vault: Lore, 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 Unmask and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Unmask Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1999-10-04 and 2019-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1999-10-04	Mercadian Masques	MMQ	168	1997	Normal	Black	rk post
2	2016-08-19	From the Vault: Lore	V16	15	2015	Normal	Black	rk post
3	~~2019-12-02~~	Secret Lair Drop	SLD	413	2015	Normal	Borderless	Rorubei
4	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	MMQ-168	1997	Normal	Black	rk post

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Unmask has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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