Disciple of Phenax MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Cleric
Released	2013-09-27
Set symbol
Set name	Theros
Set code	THS
Power	1
Toughness	3
Number	84
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	John Severin Brassell

Key Takeaways

Gaining card advantage and disrupting opponents is central to Disciple of Phenax’s value in gameplay.
Heavy reliance on black mana indicates suitability for mono-black or black-centric decks only.
Adaptable and meta-relevant, it strengthens decks focused on hand disruption and information control.

Text of card

When Disciple of Phenax enters the battlefield, target player reveals a number of cards from his or her hand equal to your devotion to black. You choose one of them. That player discards that card. (Each in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to black.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Disciple of Phenax lets you glimpse into an opponent’s hand, a move that not only reveals valuable information but also potentially disrupts their strategy by forcing them to discard a card. It’s a strategic edge that can lead to card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: The exceptional facet of Disciple of Phenax is its synergy with devotion to black. The more black mana symbols you have on the battlefield, the more impactful its entrance becomes. This correlation can accelerate your resources by impacting the opponent’s hand more significantly.

Instant Speed: While Disciple of Phenax itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it fits snugly into decks that capitalize on instant-speed interactions. By providing valuable intel on opponent’s hands, it gives you insight that can guide your instant-speed responses with precision, ensuring that you use the right answer at the right time.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Disciple of Phenax requires you to target an opponent to discard a number of cards equal to your devotion to black. This can be a downside if you’re facing an empty-handed opponent or if powerful graveyard interactions on their side turn your intended setback into their advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting cost includes double black mana, potentially limiting its inclusion to black-heavy or monocolored decks. Players with a multicolored base might encounter difficulties fitting Disciple of Phenax into their mana curve efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a four mana value, Disciple of Phenax competes with other impactful four-drops in the game. Considering that its impact is tied to both the board state and your devotion to black, it can sometimes be less than ideal compared to other cards at the same cost threshold that offer consistent value regardless of the game’s progression.

Reasons to Include Disciple of Phenax in Your Collection

Versatility: Disciple of Phenax offers utility in various deck builds that capitalize on hand disruption and creature presence. Its ability to force an opponent to reveal a number of cards from their hand and discard one of them scales with devotion to black, making it adaptable to the board state.

Combo Potential: With the right setup, this creature has the potential to synergize with other cards that benefit from opponent discard or increased devotion. Its manipulation of an opponent’s hand can be quite potent in decks designed around these themes.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where information is power and disruption is key, Disciple of Phenax can serve as an important tactical piece. Its ability to peel away key cards from the opponent’s hand makes it a relevant choice for those looking to tackle control or combo-heavy environments.

How to beat

The Disciple of Phenax presents a unique challenge on the MTG battleground. This creature card, embedded in black mana’s strategic depth, forces an opponent to reveal a number of cards from their hand and then discard one of your choosing. To navigate this effect, an efficient approach is maintaining a hand with expendable cards, minimizing the impact of the discard.

Moreover, direct removal spells are your allies against Disciple of Phenax. Before it can trigger its ability upon entering the battlefield, instant-speed removal such as Murder or Path to Exile can send the Disciple packing. Alternatively, if the Disciple’s ability is on the stack, respond with an instant that draws or cycles to alter your hand, ensuring you discard the least valuable card.

Lastly, consider employing graveyard retrieval strategies. If a key piece is discarded due to the Disciple’s influence, cards with return-from-graveyard abilities can mitigate the loss. In essence, transform your graveyard into a resource, and the disrupting power of Disciple of Phenax becomes substantially less threatening to your game plan.

Cards like Disciple of Phenax

Disciple of Phenax presents an intriguing dynamic within Magic the Gathering, aligning itself with the subset of creatures that influence the opponent’s hand. It finds company with cards like Brain Maggot, that similarly allows a peek into an opponent’s hand albeit without the power to force discards. Brain Maggot’s effect is temporary, only affecting the game state while it’s on the battlefield.

Another comparable card is Ravenous Rats, which, like Disciple of Phenax, causes the opponent to discard when it enters the battlefield. The Disciple, though, boasts a higher mana cost but compensates with better stats and the potential to yield more information and disrupt strategies by targeting specific cards based on the devotion to black.

Cards such as Burglar Rat and Yarok’s Fenlurker expand upon this foundation, both arriving with the forced discard benefit. While their effects are not as scalable as the Disciple’s, they offer an immediate impact at a lower cost, appealing to different strategies and deck types.

Choosing the right creature for hand disruption is a critical decision and can vary based on the deck’s overall strategy. Disciple of Phenax stands out due to its potential for significant card advantage and strategic flexibility.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Disciple of Phenax MTG card by a specific set like Theros, 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 Disciple of Phenax and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Disciple of Phenax has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-09-15	Hybrid mana symbols, monocolored hybrid mana symbols, and Phyrexian mana symbols do count toward your devotion to their color(s).
2013-09-15	If an activated ability or triggered ability has an effect that depends on your devotion to a color, you count the number of mana symbols of that color among the mana costs of permanents you control as the ability resolves. The permanent with that ability will be counted if it's still on the battlefield at that time.
2013-09-15	Mana symbols in the text boxes of permanents you control don't count toward your devotion to any color.
2013-09-15	Numeric mana symbols (, , and so on) in mana costs of permanents you control don't count toward your devotion to any color.
2013-09-15	Use your devotion to black as the triggered ability resolves to determine how many cards will be revealed. If Disciple of Phenax is still on the battlefield at that time, its mana cost will count toward your devotion to black.