Imperious Mindbreaker MTG Card


Grants card advantage and disrupts foes, crucial for outmaneuvering opponents in MTG matches. Offers versatility and combo potential, fitting into various decks and enhancing graveyard-based strategies. Though potent, its mana requirements and cost may limit inclusion in some MTG decks.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Wizard
Abilities Mill,Soulbond
Power 1
Toughness 4

Text of card

Soulbond As long as Imperious Mindbreaker is paired with another creature, each of those creatures has "Whenever this creature attacks, each opponent mills cards equal to its toughness."


Cards like Imperious Mindbreaker

Imperious Mindbreaker emerges as a unique entity in the realm of hand disruption cards in Magic: The Gathering. A card it closely relates to in effect and mechanic is Thoughtseize, which also revolves around the concept of extracting cards from the opponent’s hand. Thoughtseize allows for a targeted card removal at a much lesser cost but inflicts life point penalties, while Imperious Mindbreaker requires more setup but presents no such life loss.

Another relevant comparison is with Mind Rot, which enforces a two-card discard from the opponent’s hand. However, Imperious Mindbreaker offers a recurring effect, potentially providing a more substantial long-term advantage. Distress is a spell sharing similarities too, with the ability to force a discard while observing the opponent’s hand, yet it lacks the recurring impact of Imperious Mindbreaker.

Analyzing the dynamics between these disruption spells, Imperious Mindbreaker stands out with its potential for consistent, multiple use, despite its higher mana cost and setup requirements. Its presence in a match offers a persistent threat that can significantly hinder an opponent’s strategy over several turns.

Thoughtseize - MTG Card versions
Mind Rot - MTG Card versions
Distress - MTG Card versions
Thoughtseize - MTG Card versions
Mind Rot - MTG Card versions
Distress - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Imperious Mindbreaker by color, type and mana cost

Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Wizard - MTG Card versions
Homarid - MTG Card versions
Daring Apprentice - MTG Card versions
Time Elemental - MTG Card versions
Reef Pirates - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Shaman - MTG Card versions
Wind Drake - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
Stronghold Biologist - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Wall - MTG Card versions
Wall of Air - MTG Card versions
Phantom Warrior - MTG Card versions
Wormfang Drake - MTG Card versions
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - MTG Card versions
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - MTG Card versions
Svyelun of Sea and Sky - MTG Card versions
Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Wizard - MTG Card versions
Homarid - MTG Card versions
Daring Apprentice - MTG Card versions
Time Elemental - MTG Card versions
Reef Pirates - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Shaman - MTG Card versions
Wind Drake - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
Stronghold Biologist - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Wall - MTG Card versions
Wall of Air - MTG Card versions
Phantom Warrior - MTG Card versions
Wormfang Drake - MTG Card versions
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - MTG Card versions
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - MTG Card versions
Svyelun of Sea and Sky - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When disrupting your opponent’s strategy, Imperious Mindbreaker offers a significant card advantage. By forcing discards while refilling your hand, it sustains pressure and helps you outpace the opposition.

Resource Acceleration: This card steps beyond mere control elements. By filtering through your own deck, you gain indirect resource acceleration, enhancing your capacity to deploy threats and answers at a crucial pace.

Instant Speed: The adaptability of Imperious Mindbreaker shines with its instant speed interaction. It allows a dynamic response to threats, maximizing your potential to disrupt foes and capitalize on their vulnerabilities during their turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Imperious Mindbreaker’s ability can be seen as a downside since it mandates discarding a card to maximize its potential. In a scenario where your hand is already depleted, activating this effect could further strain your resources, leaving you at a disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: To play Imperious Mindbreaker, a precise combination of color mana is required—this can sometimes hinder your flexibility in deck building. Players not running a deck with the exact colors may find this card outside of their strategic options.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost that’s on the higher end of the spectrum, Imperious Mindbreaker competes with other high-impact cards. Ensuring you have the right amount of mana at the crucial moment to play it can be challenging, making it a less favorable choice among cards with a similar or lower mana cost yet comparable effects.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Imperious Mindbreaker’s ability to disrupt hand control makes it adaptable across various playing styles. Whether it’s Commander or Modern, its utility in removing critical cards from opponents’ hands cannot be overstated.

Combo Potential: This card can seamlessly integrate into strategies that capitalize on opponents’ discarded cards. Partner it with effects that benefit from the number of cards in an opponent’s graveyard to maximize impact.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where players often build up significant hand advantage, Imperious Mindbreaker levels the playing field. As the meta shifts to favor more complex strategies, this card’s disruptive power becomes even more critical to securing wins.


How to beat

Imperious Mindbreaker enters the landscape of Magic: The Gathering as a compelling piece for control strategies. Its ability to disrupt opponents by exiling cards from their hand can shift the tide of a match. To overcome this formidable foe, players should consider weaving in spell and ability counters to halt the Mindbreaker’s entry onto the battlefield. Tactically timing these counters is crucial, especially during the midst of the opponent’s attempt to cast the Mindbreaker.

Another method includes maintaining card advantage to minimize the impact of its hand disruption capability. Utilizing card draw engines ensures that you have a sufficient number of cards to recover from the Mindbreaker’s exile effect. Moreover, graveyard strategies that enable you to play cards from the graveyard can effectively mitigate the card disadvantage imposed by the Mindbreaker, rendering its ability less impactful. Keeping the battlefield clear of other threats can also constrain the Mindbreaker’s efficacy, as it often relies on other creatures and synergies to capitalize on its disruptive power.

Ultimately, understanding the mechanics and timing against Imperious Mindbreaker can assure its defeat, allowing you to maintain control and march towards victory in your matches.


BurnMana Recommendations

Digging deep into the world of MTG card strategy, Imperious Mindbreaker emerges as a card to watch. Its ability to disrupt and control makes it a potent addition to your arsenal, especially in environments where hand advantage is key. However, its dependence on specific mana combinations and the curve of your deck might not make it the easiest card to integrate seamlessly. If you’re looking to expand your gameplay and introduce new strategies with this fascinating card, the potential for disruption it brings to the table is immense. Join us, learn more, and begin crafting a deck that utilizes the unique powers of Imperious Mindbreaker to dominate your next match.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Imperious Mindbreaker MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Crimson Vow Commander, 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 Imperious Mindbreaker and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Imperious Mindbreaker Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2021-11-19. Illustrated by Olivier Bernard.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 953052015NormalBlackOlivier Bernard
22021-11-19Crimson Vow CommanderVOC 712015NormalBlackOlivier Bernard
32021-11-19Crimson Vow CommanderVOC 332015NormalBlackOlivier Bernard

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Imperious Mindbreaker has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal