Evermind MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant — Arcane
Abilities Splice

Key Takeaways

  1. Evermind enables card advantage and strategic depth through its instant speed and unique Splice onto Arcane.
  2. Drawbacks include a specific mana requirement and potential to hinder hand if not used strategically.
  3. While not a staple in all decks, Evermind’s versatility makes it a worthy consideration for specific strategies.

Text of card

(Spells without mana costs can't be played.) Draw a card. Evermind is blue. Splice onto Arcane (As you play an Arcane spell, you may reveal this card from your hand and pay its splice cost. If you do, add this card's effects to that spell.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Evermind stands out for its unique ability to draw a card without a mana cost, cleverly bypassing traditional card advantage metrics. It essentially replaces itself in your hand, subtly shifting the balance of cards in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Despite Evermind itself not generating resources directly, it’s key in decks that exploit spellslinging synergies. Casting it for its Splice onto Arcane cost can significantly amplify the effects of resource-generating Arcane spells, indirectly accelerating your resources.

Instant Speed: The instant nature of Evermind adds a layer of strategic depth to gameplay. It can be woven into complex turns where mana efficiency is crucial, enabling you to react promptly to an evolving board state without skipping a beat in card flow.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Evermind necessitates discarding a card to harness its arcane spell nature. This demand can potentially set you back if your hand is already depleted or if you’re attempting to maintain card advantage over your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: This card commands a precise blue mana, demanding deck construction to accommodate blue sources. Decks without a consistent method to produce blue mana may find incorporating Evermind challenging.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While not excessive, Evermind’s mana cost might be considered steep compared to other options within the game. Players frequently assess the benefits of drawing a card versus developing their board presence or countering key threats at this junction in the mana curve.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Evermind is an intriguing choice for decks that rely on spells with alternative casting costs or those aiming to maximize spellcasting triggers without the need for a specific color of mana.

Combo Potential: This card can seamlessly slot into strategies revolving around Arcane spells, enabling you to draw a card while executing key combos or maintaining momentum during critical game phases.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where non-creature spells and instant-speed interactions are prevalent, Evermind maintains its relevance by offering card advantage without consuming essential mana resources during your turn.


How to beat

Navigating the strategic nuances of Evermind can be a subtle yet critical aspect of gameplay for seasoned MTG players. The unique attribute of Evermind lies in its ability to be cast only through the splice onto arcane mechanic, bypassing the usual casting methods. This characteristic requires a tailored strategy to approach and ultimately overcome Evermind’s potential impact in a match.

One viable method to counteract Evermind is by disrupting the player’s arcane spell chain. This can be achieved through spells that specifically counter arcane spells or through broader countering strategies that target the stack. By interrupting the sequence of spells to which Evermind would be spliced, players can negate the card draw advantage it provides. Additionally, employing discard strategies can preemptively remove Evermind from the opponent’s hand before they have the opportunity to utilize its splice effect, thus stifling their game plan and diminishing their card advantage.

Understanding and anticipating the strategic timing of when an opponent may attempt to splice Evermind is crucial. By maintaining readiness with instant-speed responses and keeping pressure on the opponent’s hand and mana resources, players can effectively dampen the influence of Evermind and maintain control of the game’s tempo.


Cards like Evermind

Evermind stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a nontraditional instant spell with a distinct ability—it cannot be played as a normal spell, but rather through the arcane Splice onto Arcane mechanic. This places Evermind in a unique position when compared to other draw spells like Opt, which allows you to scry and then draw at a low cost. Opt is straightforward and always ready in a pinch without the need for another arcane spell.

Comparatively, we look at Peer Through Depths, another spell that delves into your library, but instead of drawing a card outright, it enables you to look at the top five cards of your library, choosing an instant or sorcery card among them to put into your hand. This is more selective than Evermind, yet more restrictive in terms of the type of card you can obtain. Another parallel is Ideas Unbound, which has the impressive ability to draw three cards for a cheap investment, but at the end of the turn, you’re coerced to discard three cards—a harsher trade-off compared to Evermind’s omniscient addition to your arsenal without direct loss.

Delving into the world of Magic: The Gathering card comparisons, Evermind may not come as the first option for instant card advantage, but its synergy within arcane-heavy decks and its unusual method of circumventing traditional casting costs affords it a singular place among MTG draw spells.

Opt - MTG Card versions
Peer Through Depths - MTG Card versions
Ideas Unbound - MTG Card versions
Opt - Invasion (INV)
Peer Through Depths - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Ideas Unbound - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)

Cards similar to Evermind by color, type and mana cost

Pact of Negation - MTG Card versions
Pact of Negation - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Evermind MTG card by a specific set like Saviors of Kamigawa and The List, 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 Evermind and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Evermind Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2005-06-03 and 2005-06-03. Illustrated by Matt Thompson.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12005-06-03Saviors of KamigawaSOK 372003normalblackMatt Thompson
22020-09-26The ListPLST SOK-372003normalblackMatt Thompson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Evermind has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2005-06-01 Evermind is a blue Arcane instant card. Cards that check whether a card has any of those attributes will affect Evermind. For example, you can exile it (as a blue card) to pay the alternative costs of spells like Force of Will and Disrupting Shoal (X = 0). You could search for it with Mystical Tutor because it’s an instant or Eerie Procession because it’s an Arcane spell.
2005-06-01 Evermind is blue in all zones.
2006-10-15 Evermind has no mana cost, which means it can’t normally be cast as a spell. You could, however, cast it via some alternate means, like with Sunforger or Kaho, Minamo Historian.
2006-10-15 If a spell or effect, such as Parallectric Feedback, asks for Evermind’s converted mana cost, it’s 0.
2013-06-07 A card with a splice ability can’t be spliced onto itself because the spell is on the stack (and not in your hand) when you reveal the cards you want to splice onto it.
2013-06-07 Although originally printed with a characteristic-defining ability that defined its color, this card now has a color indicator. This color indicator can’t be affected by text-changing effects (such as the one created by Crystal Spray), although color-changing effects can still overwrite it.
2013-06-07 If all of the spell’s targets are illegal when the spell tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen.
2013-06-07 You choose all targets for the spell after revealing cards you want to splice, including any targets required by the text of any of those cards. You may choose a different target for each instance of the word “target” on the resulting spell.
2013-06-07 You reveal all cards you intend to splice at the same time. Each individual card can be spliced only once onto any one spell.
2016-09-20 This has no mana cost, which means its mana cost can’t be paid for effects such as replicate from Djinn Illuminatus or flashback from Snapcaster Mage.

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