Description: This rare Mind Grind card from the Gatecrash set of Magic: The Gathering features a stunning blue and black design. The card has a card number of 178 and a regular finish. It is a sorcery card with a cost of Xub. These cards are being sold by their original owner. They are in excellent shape and have been well-maintained in sleeves since unwrapping, ensuring their long-lasting value. The Mind Grind cards are a must-have for any serious collector or Magic: The Gathering player. They have been illustrated by Daarken and are in English language. None of these cards are autographed and they belong to the Collectible Card Games category under Toys & Hobbies. Don't miss your chance to add this exceptional card to your collection! More about Mind Grind: Mind Grind is a mill card from Gatecrash that leverages large amounts of mana to devastate opponents' libraries, making it a potent win condition in mill-focused strategies.Card DetailsName: Mind GrindMana Cost: XUB (Variable mana cost with 1 blue and 1 black required)Type: SorceryText:Each opponent reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal X land cards, then puts all cards revealed this way into their graveyard.How Mind Grind Works Mind Grind scales with the amount of mana you invest into it, making it a flexible tool for mill strategies. It forces opponents to mill until they reveal a specific number of land cards, potentially dumping massive chunks of their library into their graveyard, especially in formats with high nonland card counts.Key Uses in Decks Mill as a Win ConditionMind Grind is a powerful tool in mill decks, particularly in multiplayer formats like Commander, where its ability to target "each opponent" adds exponential value.A late-game Mind Grind can easily deplete large portions of libraries, sometimes outright winning if opponents have limited cards left. Scaling EffectivenessThe card grows stronger as the game progresses and you have access to more mana. In decks with ramp or mana-doubling effects, Mind Grind becomes especially lethal. Anti-Tutor TechOpponents who rely on tutoring cards to the top of their library (Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor) may lose those cards immediately to Mind Grind. Graveyard SynergyIn some strategies, milling opponents isn't just about depleting their libraries; it sets up graveyard-based plays or disrupts opponents' strategies.Cards like Leyline of the Void or Rest in Peace can exile cards as they hit the graveyard, denying opponents any chance to recur milled cards.Notable Synergies Mana Doubling and RampCards like Caged Sun, Nyxbloom Ancient, or Crypt Ghast provide extra mana, letting you invest more into the X cost for devastating Mind Grinds.Decks with ramp tools (Cultivate, Kodama’s Reach) can deploy it earlier and more effectively. Graveyard HatePairing Mind Grind with cards like Leyline of the Void or Tormod’s Crypt ensures that milled cards are exiled, preventing opponents from leveraging their graveyard. Other Mill CardsSynergies with staples like Maddening Cacophony, Traumatize, or Archive Trap amplify the overall mill strategy, accelerating the depletion of libraries. Control ElementsControl decks can use Mind Grind as a win condition after stabilizing the board. Counterspells and removal like Damnation or Counterspell keep opponents in check until you can execute a lethal Mind Grind. Dimir (Blue-Black) StaplesCards like Phenax, God of Deception or Consuming Aberration enhance mill decks and can serve as alternate win conditions or synergistic enablers.Deck Archetypes Featuring Mind Grind Mill DecksMind Grind is a natural fit for dedicated mill decks in both Commander and casual play. It complements strategies that aim to deplete libraries as a primary win condition.Commanders like Phenax, God of Deception, Lazav, Dimir Mastermind, or Mill-centric Breena, the Demagogue often include it. Control Decks with MillControl decks can use Mind Grind as a late-game win condition. After controlling the board with counterspells and removal, a single Mind Grind can finish off opponents. Mana-Ramp DecksIn decks with access to mana acceleration, such as those including black or green ramp spells, Mind Grind becomes an even more potent threat. Multiplayer StrategiesIn Commander, the "each opponent" clause makes Mind Grind particularly effective. When cast with a high X value, it can simultaneously mill massive chunks of multiple libraries.StrengthsScales Well: Mind Grind's power increases with available mana, making it effective both early and late in the game.Multiplayer Value: The ability to target all opponents simultaneously makes it efficient in Commander and other multiplayer formats.Graveyard Setup: Can disrupt opponents’ libraries or set up their graveyards for your own synergies (e.g., Animate Dead, Reanimate).Versatile Mana Sink: Provides flexibility based on how much mana you can invest.WeaknessesMana-Intensive: Requires significant mana to be impactful, which can be a challenge in faster formats.Variance: Opponents with high land counts may reveal fewer cards, reducing the effectiveness of the mill.Graveyard Strategies: Can inadvertently help opponents with graveyard synergies, such as Muldrotha, the Gravetide or The Gitrog Monster.Not Instant-Speed: Being a sorcery limits its versatility compared to other mill cards like Fractured Sanity or Archive Trap.FormatsCommander (EDH): A staple in Dimir or mill-focused decks due to its multiplayer efficiency.Casual/Multiplayer: Popular in kitchen-table games where big mana and multiplayer interactions are common.Standard (During Gatecrash): Saw limited use in Standard, primarily in control or niche mill strategies.Modern/Legacy: Rarely seen due to faster and more efficient mill options like Glimpse the Unthinkable.Conclusion Mind Grind is a powerful, scalable mill card best suited for multiplayer formats and decks that can generate large amounts of mana. Its ability to mill all opponents at once makes it particularly devastating in Commander, where milling one library can feel underwhelming. While it has limitations in faster formats, its flexibility, flavor, and synergy with mana ramp and graveyard hate ensure it remains a popular and effective tool in mill-based strategies.
Price: 4.24 USD
Location: San Antonio, Texas
End Time: 2024-12-21T21:13:49.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0.69 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Game: Magic: The Gathering
Cost: Xub
Set: Gatecrash
Attribute/MTG:Color: Blue, Black
Language: English
Rarity: Rare
Finish: Regular
Card Type: Sorcery
Card Number: 178
Illustrator: Daarken
Card Name: Mind Grind
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast