Vessel of Paramnesia MTG Card


Vessel of Paramnesia - Shadows over Innistrad
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment
Abilities Mill
Released2016-04-08
Set symbol
Set nameShadows over Innistrad
Set codeSOI
Number95
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byKieran Yanner

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers card draw and targeted mill, perfect for enabling graveyard-based strategies or disrupting opponents.
  2. Use at instant speed for tactical flexibility during gameplay, yet requires blue mana limiting its deck presence.
  3. Useful across various deck builds, especially in self-mill or delve strategies, but consider the trade-off in efficiency.

Text of card

, Sacrifice Vessel of Paramnesia: Target player puts the top three cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard. Draw a card.

"Write everything down. Trust me." —Vallon, Thraben inspector


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Vessel of Paramnesia provides a useful mill effect, enabling you to target yourself for potential graveyard synergies or your opponent to disrupt their strategy. By drawing a card after the mill, it maintains card parity, making sure you are not falling behind in resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing mana, Vessel of Paramnesia can be a key component in decks focused on delve or other graveyard mechanics, indirectly accelerating your resources by fueling the graveyard for such spells.

Instant Speed: The ability to use Vessel of Paramnesia at instant speed adds flexibility, allowing you to wait for the most opportune moment during the game to either disrupt your opponent’s plans or enhance your own strategy without sacrificing your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The activation of Vessel of Paramnesia necessitates the removal of a card from your hand. In situations where hand size is critical, this discard can be counterproductive, particularly if you’re attempting to maintain a wide range of options against an unpredictable opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: Vessel of Paramnesia requires blue mana to cast. Its specific mana cost can limit deck-building flexibility, negating its inclusion in multicolored decks that may not have consistent access to blue mana sources or prioritize other colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The initial low cost of the card is eclipsed by the additional cost to sacrifice it for its effect. When compared to other cards at similar mana points, Vessel of Paramnesia may seem less efficient, given the abundance of cheaper alternatives for drawing cards or disrupting opponents’ strategies.


Reasons to Include Vessel of Paramnesia in Your Collection

Versatility: Vessel of Paramnesia offers a multifaceted value to decks focusing on graveyard strategies as well as those in need of card draw. It’s low casting cost and utility in enabling delirium make it a practical pick for a variety of deck builds.

Combo Potential: By using Vessel of Paramnesia, players can fuel their own graveyard for abilities that require delving or triggering abilities from cards like Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy. Moreover, it can disrupt opponents’ strategies by selectively targeting their graveyard.

Meta-Relevance: This card can be particularly effective in a meta that’s heavy on graveyard utilization or where players can capitalize on its ability to enhance self-mill strategies, thereby increasing the potency of their plays.


How to beat

Vessel of Paramnesia presents a unique challenge in MTG gameplay, offering a mix of card draw and graveyard manipulation. What sets it apart is its ability to target a player for mill three cards and then draw a card. While this can be a valuable tool for enabling graveyard strategies, it can also be a vulnerability.

To effectively counter Vessel of Paramnesia, using cards that provide graveyard hate is a strong approach. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt or Relic of Progenitus disrupt the graveyard synergy that Vessel of Paramnesia aims to exploit. Additionally, direct enchantment removal spells like Naturalize or Disenchant can swiftly deal with the Vessel before it becomes a recurring nuisance.

It’s also beneficial to have a proactive plan, anticipating the potential for self-mill strategies. Employing cards that shuffle the graveyard back into the library, like Elixir of Immortality, ensures that important cards stay in circulation and not in the graveyard.

By preparing with effective answers and staying mindful of the possible graveyard tactics, players can maintain control against decks utilizing Vessel of Paramnesia.


Cards like Vessel of Paramnesia

Vessel of Paramnesia finds its niche within the wide array of utility cards in Magic: The Gathering, particularly those designed for self-mill and card draw. When paralleled with other cards, like Merfolk Secretkeeper, a noticeable similarity is the deck-thinning ability. The Secretkeeper can mill for four cards, just one more than Vessel of Paramnesia, without the draw. A key difference, however, is that Vessel of Paramnesia provides the flexibility to target any player’s library.

Contemplating Monastery Siege harbors a resemblance in terms of choosing modes that either filter cards or defend against targeted spells. In contrast, Vessel of Paramnesia has a one-time use. What sets it apart is its incorporation into Delirium or Delve archetypes, where the self-mill boosts the graveyard with fodder to leverage those mechanics effectively.

Evaluating these cards within the MTG landscape, Vessel of Paramnesia’s ability to selectively mill and replace itself in the user’s hand offers a strategic edge, particularly in decks that capitalize on synergy with the graveyard. It serves as a useful tool for sculpting the game towards your strategy, while also disrupting opponents’ plans.

Monastery Siege - MTG Card versions
Monastery Siege - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Vessel of Paramnesia MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad, 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 Vessel of Paramnesia and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Vessel of Paramnesia has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

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