Mind Games MTG Card


Peeking at an opponent’s hand with Mind Games improves your strategic decisions and disrupts their plans. Instant speed casting of Mind Games provides tactical benefits, allowing for timely, situational plays. The necessity to discard for Mind Games can be disadvantageous if hand resources are already low.
Mind Games - Stronghold
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Buyback
Released1998-03-02
Set symbol
Set nameStronghold
Set codeSTH
Number38
Frame1997
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byAndrew Robinson

Text of card

Buyback o U (You may pay an additional o U when you play this spell. If you do, put it into your hand instead of your graveyard as part of the spell's effect.) Tap target artifact, creature, or land.


Cards like Mind Games

Mind Games stands out in the Magic: The Gathering sphere with its tantalizing ability to tap target creatures. When considering cards of similar nature, one might immediately reflect on Frost Breath, which shares the capability to invalidate opposing creatures’ potential to participate in combat or use tap abilities. Yet, what makes Mind Games noteworthy is its versatility through the buyback option, allowing players to repeatedly use the card at the expense of additional mana.

In the realm of controlling enemy forces, Sleep is another card that can be paralleled with Mind Games. Both are adept at managing the battlefield, but Sleep has the power to tap all creatures an opponent controls, and those creatures don’t untap during the next untap step. This can be more impactful in a game where a broad tap-down is necessary. However, without buyback, Sleep does not offer the same recurring benefit.

Assessing the utility and tactical advantage of these cards, Mind Games with its tactical volition stands as a card that can persistently influence the board state. It’s not just a one-and-done spell but a strategic tool that epitomizes the control archetype in Magic: The Gathering.

Frost Breath - MTG Card versions
Sleep - MTG Card versions
Frost Breath - MTG Card versions
Sleep - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Mind Games by color, type and mana cost

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Ertai's Trickery - MTG Card versions
Force Spike - MTG Card versions
Opt - MTG Card versions
Envelop - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Recall - MTG Card versions
Jump - MTG Card versions
Sleight of Mind - MTG Card versions
Twiddle - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Siren's Call - MTG Card versions
Power Sink - MTG Card versions
Blue Elemental Blast - MTG Card versions
Spell Blast - MTG Card versions
Magical Hack - MTG Card versions
Riptide - MTG Card versions
Winter's Chill - MTG Card versions
Mind Bend - MTG Card versions
Denied! - MTG Card versions
Hydroblast - MTG Card versions
Whispers of the Muse - MTG Card versions
Ertai's Trickery - MTG Card versions
Force Spike - MTG Card versions
Opt - MTG Card versions
Envelop - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mind Games grants a strategic edge by enabling you to peek at an opponent’s hand. This visibility can potentially disrupt their tactics and ensure that your plays are more informed, giving you an incremental advantage.

Resource Acceleration: By understanding what your opponent holds, you can optimize your own resource deployment. While Mind Games doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it allows for smarter play, indirectly leading to a more efficient use of your mana and resources each turn.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Mind Games at instant speed provides significant tactical benefits. You can wait until the most impactful moment, perhaps right before your opponent’s critical turn, to unveil their hidden information and plan your counters strategically, keeping them on their toes and putting you one step ahead.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mind Games necessitates discarding a card which might not always be beneficial, especially when your hand is already depleted or the discarded card is vital for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands both blue mana and colorless mana. Its specific mana requirement can make it a tough fit in multicolored decks or those not centered around blue mana resources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Its casting cost is considerable, and in the fast-paced environment of MTG, there may be other lower-cost cards that can initiate similar effects or tactics more economically.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mind Games offers a flexible utility by allowing players to control the battlefield without losing card advantage. It can slip into various deck builds that value tempo and interaction with opponent’s strategies.

Combo Potential: This spell’s ability to untap a creature not only disrupts opponents but also synergizes with cards that benefit from being untapped multiple times, enhancing your tactical edge.

Meta-Relevance: As the playing environment frequently adapts, Mind Games remains pertinent due to its capacity to level the playing field against a wide array of opponent tactics, making it a smart choice for a constantly evolving game.


How to beat

Mind Games is a strategic card within the landscape of Magic: The Gathering that poses a challenge for opponents. This card typically operates by tapping an opponent’s creature and potentially maintaining it in a tapped state over consecutive turns. Players looking to outmaneuver Mind Games must prioritize two key strategies: creature diversity and spell versatility. Employing a variety of creatures with different abilities can dilute Mind Games’ impact, ensuring that not all assets are vulnerable to being tapped. Additionally, integrating spells or abilities that untap creatures can serve as a direct counter, nullifying the card’s intended effect on your strategy.

Another approach is to focus on non-creature strategies that lessen your reliance on creatures. Utilizing direct damage spells, enchantments, or planeswalkers can circumvent the disadvantage posed by Mind Games. Additionally, instant-speed removal spells can disrupt an opponent’s plan by removing the enchanted creature before it becomes a liability. Lastly, include cards with hexproof or shroud in your deck construction strategy to protect your creatures from becoming targets, thus maintaining control of the board and securing your path to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG is about understanding each card’s strengths and weaknesses. With Mind Games, you tap into the power of foresight and control, a key for any strategic player. The card holds potential for intricate playmaking, and its instant speed can disrupt opponents at crucial moments. Despite its mana demands and the loss of a card from your hand, the advantages can outweigh these concerns in a well-constructed deck. Ready to leverage Mind Games to its fullest? Dive deeper into effective strategies and deck-building tips that enhance this card’s value in your arsenal. Learn how to weave Mind Games into your wins with us.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mind Games MTG card by a specific set like Stronghold, 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 Mind Games and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mind Games has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal