Mind Grind MTG Card


Mind Grind - Gatecrash
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Released2013-02-01
Set symbol
Set nameGatecrash
Set codeGTC
Number178
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byDaarken

Key Takeaways

  1. Mind Grind offers card advantage through strategic library depletion, impacting opponent’s gameplay choices.
  2. Its synergy with graveyard mechanics can enhance your deck’s instant-speed responses and control.
  3. While powerful, Mind Grind demands specific mana and can necessitate a late-game strategy for peak effectivity.

Text of card

Each opponent reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals X land cards, then puts all cards revealed this way into his or her graveyard. X can't be 0.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mind Grind serves as a strategic tool to deplete an opponent’s library. By forcing your opponent to reveal cards until they hit a set number of lands, you potentially remove a significant portion of their deck from play, indirectly translating to a massive card advantage as options for your adversary diminish with each mill.

Resource Acceleration: While Mind Grind itself does not directly offer traditional resource acceleration, its ability to mill lands can indirectly accelerate your resource dominance. As your opponent loses lands from their deck, their potential for mana development decreases, allowing you to outpace them in terms of playable resources.

Instant Speed: Although Mind Grind operates at sorcery speed, its effect complements the use of other instant-speed disruption in your deck. By filling the opponent’s graveyard, you set the stage for instant-speed graveyard interaction, allowing you to react with increased efficiency to the altered state of your opponent’s resources.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike some other cards, Mind Grind does not have a discard requirement, which is an advantage in situations where card retention is vital.

Specific Mana Cost: Mind Grind requires both blue and black mana, demanding a dual-color deck build that may not align with all strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a starting cost that includes both of those colors and X, the potential for a substantial effect through Mind Grind comes with a considerable investment, often requiring a late-game setup for maximum impact.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mind Grind showcases flexibility by fitting seamlessly into mill deck strategies. Its scalable nature means it’s useful at any stage of the game, adapting to your available mana.

Combo Potential: This card excels in synergizing with other milling mechanisms. Paired with cards that benefit from large libraries being dumped into the graveyard, Mind Grind can be the linchpin of a devastating combo.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where libraries are packed with methods to counteract direct damage or creature strategies, Mind Grind can bypass traditional defenses, targeting an opponent’s deck directly for an alternative path to victory.


How to beat

Mind Grind is a potent card often found in the toolkits of many mill strategy enthusiasts in Magic: The Gathering. As it forces opponents to reveal cards from the top of their library until they reveal a specific number of land cards, the effect can be devastating, potentially milling a significant portion of their deck. To counter Mind Grind’s power, one reliable strategy is to increase the land count in your deck, reducing the probability of key non-land cards being milled.

Another effective approach is incorporating graveyard retrieval mechanics. Using cards that allow you to shuffle your graveyard back into your library, like Elixir of Immortality, can help negate the impact of Mind Grind. Alternatively, make use of cards that have benefits when placed in the graveyard. Cards like Narcomoeba or creatures that can be cast from the graveyard such as Bloodghast capitalize on being milled and can turn the tables on a Mind Grind strategy.

Ensuring prompt pressure on the opponent can also prevent them from having enough mana to use Mind Grind effectively. Keep the tempo up and force them to defend rather than focusing on their mill strategy. By taking these measures, you can improve your odds of success against the grinding gears of Mind Grind, neutralizing its threat and maintaining the integrity of your deck.


BurnMana Recommendations

In the complex tapestry of MTG, each card holds potential to turn the tides of a match—and Mind Grind is no exception. Discovering the right balance in your deck can make Mind Grind a powerful asset, whether you’re diminishing an opponent’s resources or setting up for inevitable victory. Our insights delve deep into strategies that not only harness the power of this dynamic card but also defend against it. For those eager to harness the strategic depth MTG offers, enhancing both knowledge and collection is key. Delve further with us to refine your deck, outwit your adversaries, and claim your place at the victor’s table.


Cards like Mind Grind

Mind Grind is a unique manipulation spell that has earned its place in decks built around milling opponents in Magic: The Gathering. It shares a conceptual space with the infamous Glimpse the Unthinkable, which specifically mills ten cards at a lower cost, without the scalability that Mind Grind offers. The flexibility of Mind Grind allows players to determine the depth of milling based on their available mana, making it a powerhouse in the later stages of the game.

Another mill-themed card worth comparing is Traumatize, which targets an opponent to mill half their library, rounded down. Often seen in the same decks as Mind Grind, Traumatize doesn’t offer the same control over the number of cards milled but can act as a crippling blow to an unprepared foe. Finally, the card Archive Trap comes into play as a free spell to an opponent searching their library, instantly milling a hefty number of cards. Although it’s situational and lacks the scalability of Mind Grind, it remains a potent option in milling strategies.

To summarize, while there are several options for players who enjoy the milling archetype, Mind Grind stands out with its distinctive capability to devastate an opponent’s deck in accordance with the game’s progression and resource availability.

Glimpse the Unthinkable - MTG Card versions
Traumatize - MTG Card versions
Archive Trap - MTG Card versions
Glimpse the Unthinkable - MTG Card versions
Traumatize - MTG Card versions
Archive Trap - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Mind Grind by color, type and mana cost

Diabolic Vision - MTG Card versions
Sealed Fate - MTG Card versions
Glimpse the Unthinkable - MTG Card versions
Psychic Drain - MTG Card versions
Scarscale Ritual - MTG Card versions
Paranoid Delusions - MTG Card versions
Thought Erasure - MTG Card versions
Extract Brain - MTG Card versions
Cruel Somnophage // Can't Wake Up - MTG Card versions
Wail of the Forgotten - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Vision - MTG Card versions
Sealed Fate - MTG Card versions
Glimpse the Unthinkable - MTG Card versions
Psychic Drain - MTG Card versions
Scarscale Ritual - MTG Card versions
Paranoid Delusions - MTG Card versions
Thought Erasure - MTG Card versions
Extract Brain - MTG Card versions
Cruel Somnophage // Can't Wake Up - MTG Card versions
Wail of the Forgotten - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mind Grind MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash, 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 Mind Grind and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mind Grind has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2013-01-24 If an opponent’s library contains fewer than X land cards, all cards from that library are revealed and put into their graveyard.
2013-01-24 If another spell or ability instructs you to cast Mind Grind “without paying its mana cost,” you won’t be able to. You must pick 0 as the value of X in the mana cost of a spell being cast “without paying its mana cost,” but the X in Mind Grind’s mana cost can’t be 0.

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