Hypnox MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	11
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Nightmare Horror
Abilities	Flying
Released	2002-02-04
Set symbol
Set name	Torment
Set code	TOR
Power	8
Toughness	8
Number	64
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Greg Staples

Key Takeaways

Efficient resource acceleration methods can make casting the demanding Hypnox achievable for mightier gameplay impacts.
Hypnox’s instant-like graveyard casting throws off opponents, setting up for unexpected, game-altering plays.
Though powerful, the steep discard requirement upon casting Hypnox could leave players in a precarious state.

Text of card

Flying When Hypnox comes into play, if you played it from your hand, remove all cards in target opponent's hand from the game. When Hypnox leaves play, return the removed cards to their owner's hand.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Hypnox provides a significant edge by removing all cards from an opponent’s hand when it enters the battlefield under certain conditions. This potent ability can disrupt your adversary’s strategy and leave them with limited options, securing you a tangible advantage in terms of resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although Hypnox itself doesn’t produce mana or tokens, its demanding casting cost could incentivize players to incorporate various resource acceleration methods into their decks. By doing so, Hypnox becomes a reachable goal rather than a distant dream, and once it hits the battlefield, its impact can be game-changing.

Instant Speed: While Hypnox itself is not an instant, the ability to deploy it from the graveyard under specific circumstances means it can be cast at a time most disadvantageous to your opponent. This can lead to strategic plays where you set up your graveyard and mana in preparation, casting Hypnox when your opponent least expects it.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Hypnox demands a steep price upon casting, as it requires you to discard your entire hand. This drawback is particularly risky as it can leave you with no cards to react to your opponent’s moves, putting you in a vulnerable position if the creature is removed from the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Summmoning Hypnox requires a demanding and specific combination of three black mana, making it a tough fit outside of mono-black or heavily black-focused decks. This can limit its flexibility and include it only in decks that can reliably produce the necessary mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total casting cost of six mana, including three black, Hypnox sits at the higher end of the mana curve. In fast-paced games or against decks that efficiently manage threats, its high cost can make it a cumbersome card that arrives too late to impact the game effectively.

Reasons to Include Hypnox in Your Collection

Versatility: Hypnox offers a unique dynamic as a powerful finisher in control or reanimator decks. Its ability to remove an entire hand from the game can swing matches in your favor.

Combo Potential: Pairing Hypnox with ways to cheat it into play, such as through reanimation spells or “sneak attack” effects, amplifies its game-ending potential by bypassing its hefty casting cost.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where opponents rely heavily on carefully sculpted hands and combo pieces, Hypnox can be a devastating play, disrupting strategies and clearing the way for a win.

How to Beat Hypnox

Hypnox is an imposing force in any MTG game, bringing a unique challenge to the battlefield with its hefty mana cost and potential to remove all cards from an opponent’s hand. Encountering Hypnox requires a strategic approach, as its Enter the Battlefield ability triggers only if it was cast from your hand, removing the usual hand-based defenses.

Combatting this powerful card involves preemptive measures, with graveyard maneuvering being a key tactic. Utilizing cards that can reshuffle or retrieve cards from the graveyard back into your library is essential. Counterspells also play a crucial role, as they can prevent Hypnox from coming into play. Keeping the mana open for counter spells or holding onto instant-speed card draw spells to refresh your hand after Hypnox’s ability affects you can mitigate its impact.

Furthermore, since Hypnox’s strength lies in its casting from the hand, employing card effects that force it to be put onto the battlefield by other means, like “reanimation” style effects, could help sidestep its devastating hand-removal ability. This kind of foresight can turn the tables on an opponent relying on Hypnox and secure your game towards a winning strategy.

Cards like Hypnox

Hypnox stands as a unique force amongst creatures in Magic: The Gathering. Its closest relatives in the realm of flying behemoths include creatures like Lord of the Void. Both command a formidable presence in the skies and offer a game-ending threat. Where Lord of the Void offers a strategy to exile cards from an opponent’s deck and cheat them into play, Hypnox instead aims for a knockout by discarding their entire hand when it enters the battlefield from your hand.

Another kin in this arsenal of giants is Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur. Jin-Gitaxias is famed for its ability to cause hand disruption by forcing opponents to draw to seven cards and then discard down to their hand size limit at the end of their turn. Hypnox doesn’t offer the card advantage or repeatability, but its immediate hand-depleting effect can be much more devastating in a single blow.

To sum up, Hypnox can be a game changer with its hand obliteration effect, especially in scenarios where you deploy it directly from your hand. Its massive presence and powerful entry effect grant it a noteworthy position among intimidating creatures that excel in control and disruption within Magic: The Gathering.

Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Hypnox by color, type and mana cost

Infernius Spawnington III, Esq. - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hypnox MTG card by a specific set like Torment, 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 Hypnox and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hypnox 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 Hypnox card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2013-09-20	If a creature (such as Clone) enters the battlefield as a copy of this creature, the copy’s “enters-the-battlefield” ability will still trigger as long as you cast that creature spell from your hand.