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Mental Magic Strategies

 

Defensive Measures to Discard

 

One of the best ways to win in Mental Magic is card advantage.  Whether it is drawing more card than the opponent or getting two for ones off of various tricks, there is a large amount of resources out there to abuse.

 

One of the riskiest ways to take advantage is via discard spells such as Stupor and Hymn to Tourach.  Unless your opponent is particulary adept at the format, they will likely miss many of these options.

 

These cards trigger when ever a spell causes you to discard a card.  While some are merely "traps" for them to fall into, they are all ways to take advantage of the situation.

 

2W - Mangara's Blessing

W - Pure Intentions

5G - Quagnoth

These cards merely return themselves back to your hand.  This is more relavent than you think as losing a card is pretty harsh.

 

 

5 - Sand Golem

4 - Dodecapod

4 - Metrognome

1HHH - Wilt-Leaf Liege

While wilt-Leaf liege won't come up often, it fits in this category.   You opponent hits you with discard?  Use that as an opportunity to accelerate into a fatty or mini army.  While Metrognome is rarely better than Dodecapod, it is an option.

 

 

1R - Guerilla Tactics

U - Psychic Purge

These two cards are actually more powerful when your opponent makes you discard them.  Chances are that you wouldn't actually use these card names otherwise.  

 

Madness

While more limited that most of these options, Madness can provide for the gaps in mana cost that these cards have.

 

Free Madness Costs

G - Basking Rootwalla

B - Call to the Netherworld

 

Basking Rootwala is a solid beater.  Call to the Netherworld, on the other hand, is very iffy as it you must have a legal target, which can be hard to come by.  That said, it is an option.

 

Madness Cost of One

 

1RR - Fiery Temper

4BB - Dark Withering

2U - Circular Logic

U - Obsessive Search

1W _ Strength of Isolation

1B - Strength of Lunacy

2W - Frantic Purification

1BB - Big Game Hunter

 

Many of these cards have restrictive conditions, but aside from Circular Logic they are typically applicable.  There is some overlap with other options based on mana cost.  Obsessive Search is another option to Psychic Purge if your want to keep your hand up.  Frantic Purification is solid if you have an enchantment to remove, but you have Mangara's Blessing otherwise.

 

 

 

 

Making the Graveyard work for you

One of the best ways to take advantage in this format is managing your graveyard for maximum effect.  Some opponent stop playing lands in favor of casting spells, but you can lay a land every turn and still have plenty of action if your manage your spells and graveyard properly.  Cantrips and slowtrips help, but most important are recursive effects.

 

Common recursive effects include:

Dredge (typically not the best option, but can lead to more plays that are grave dependent)

Unearth

Flashback

Retrace (This doesn't work at all)

Recover

 

B

Darkblast - Dredge 3

Cabal Therapy - Flashback: Sacrifice a Creature

Coffin Purge - Flashback B

Skullfracture - Flashback 3B

 

1B

Nether Shadow

Dregscape Zombie - Unearth B

Rotting Rats - Unearth 1B

Golgari Thug - Dredge 4

Chainer's Edict - Flashback 5BB

Morgue Theft - Flashback 4B

Grim Harvest - Recover 2B

Carrionette - 2BB

 

BB

Nether Traitor - Pay a B when your creature dies

Bloodghast - Landfall

 

 

2B

Stinkweed Imp - Dredge 5

Strangling Soot - Flashback 5R

Auntie's Snitch - Goblin or Rogue deals damage

Grim Reminder - BB: Upkeep

Krovikan Harvest - Recover: 1BB

 

1BB

Haakon, Stromgald Scourge - Just play him

Nether Spirit - No other creature cards during upkeep

Necroplasm - Dredge 2

Criplling Fatigue - Flashback 1B, 3 Life

 

BBB

Garza's Assassin - Recover: Half your life

Bridge from Below - I have no idea how this will work

3B

Ashen Ghoul - Upkeep: B + 3 or more creatures on top

Viscera Dragger

Nightmare Void - Dredge 2

Ichorid - Upkeep, Exile a Black Creature

Krovikan Horror - End of Turn, Creature card directly above

Entropic Eidolon - Play a Gold Spell

 

2BB

Dread Return - Flashback: Sacrifice 3 creatures

Bladewing's Thrall - Any dragon enters play

 

4B

Corpse Connoisseur - Unearth 3B

Traitor's Clutch - Flashback 1B

Death of a Thousand Stings - More Cards in hand during Upkeep

Exile into Darkness - More Cards in Hand during Upkeep

 

5B

Undead Leotau - Unearth 2B

Grixis Slaverdriver - Unearth 3B

 

4BB

Extractor Demon - Unearth 2B

Morbid Hunter - Flashback 7BB

 

 

 

The Land Destruction Compendium

 

White

2W + 1G - Benalish Emissary

3W - Armageddon

3W - Ravages of War

2WW - Cataclysm

4WW - Catastrophe

 

 

Black

BB - Sinkhold

2B + 2R - Nightscape Battlemage

1BB - Rancid Earth

1BB - Rain of Tears

1BB - Icequake

2BB - Befoul

2BB - Stream of Acide

3B - Despoil

4B - Desecrated Earth (So much better than it looks)

3BB + WW - Desolation Angel

3BBB - Helldozer

3BBB - Demonic Horde

 

 

Red

R - Raze

1R - Boom

XRR - Territorial Dispute

1RR - Molten Rain

1RR - Pillage

2R - Stone Rain

2RR - Seismic Spike

2RR - Roiling Terrain

2RR - Aftershock

2RR - Thoughts of Ruin

2RR - Icefall (Better for recursion)

2RR - Sunder from Within

3R - Avalanche Riders

3R - Goblin Settler

3R - Lay Waste

3R - Suffering (Pain/Suffering)

3R - Earth Rift (Better for Flashback at 5RR :) )

3R - Dwarven Landslide

3R - Seismic Mage

3R - Flowstone Flood

3R - Demolish

3RR - Rain of Rust

3RR - Fissure

3RR - Devastate

3RR - Ravaging Horde

4R - Implode

4R - Ogre Arsonist

4R - Epicenter

4R - volcanic Submersion

4R - Plunder (Suspend can be solid)

5R - Bust

3RRR - Wake of Destruction (Your lands too, lol)

4RR - Volcanic Awakening

4RR - Wildfire

4RR - Jokulhaups

6R - Faultgrinder

6RR - Obliterate

 

GOLD

1WB - Vindicate

4BR - Plague Spores

2RG - Wreak Havoc

2(r/b)(r/b) - Poison the Well

2(b/g)(b/g) - Drain the Well

2RW - Ajani Vengeant

 

 

 

Green

2G - Ice Storm

1GG - Winter's Grasp

1GG - Thermokarst

3G - Reap and Sow

3G + 1G - Mold Shambler

2GG - Creeping Mold

2GG - Roiling Spoil

2GG - Mwonvuli Acid-Moss

3GG - Feast of Worms

4G - Rootgrapple

3GG - Primal Command

3GG - Acidic Slime

4GG - Desert Twister

 

 

 

 

Green Recursion

 

G

Chatter of the Squirrel - Flashback: 1G

Thrill of the Hunt - Flashback: W

Canopy Claws - Flashback: G

 

1G

Moment's Peace - Flashback: 2G

Krosan Reclamation - Flashback: 1G

Howling Gale - Flashback: 1G

Sylvan Might - Flashback: 2GG

Life from the Loam - Dredge 3

Resize - Recover 1G

 

 

2G

Call of the Herd - Flashback: 3G

Folk Medicine - Flashback: 1W

Molvervine Cloak - Dredge 2

Sosuke Summons - Snake Enters Play

 

1GG

Golgari Brownscale - Dredge 2

 

3G

Acorn Harvest - Flashback: 1G, 3 Life

Greater Mossdog - Dredge 3

Verdant Eidolon - Play a Gold Spell

 

2GG

Elephant Ambush - Flashback: 6GG

Masked Admirerers - Cast a Creature Spell; GG

 

4G

Golgari Grave-Troll - Dredge 6

Genesis - Ukeep 2G

 

 

3GG

Grizzly Fate - Flashback 3GG

Parallel Evolution - Flashback 4GGG

Gigapede - Upkeep, discard a card

 

2GGG

Beast Hunt - Flashback 2GGG

 

6G

Roar of the Wurm - Flashback 3G

 

6GGG

Crush of Wurms - Flashback 9GGG

 

 

3U

Enigma Eidolon - Play a Gold Spell

 

 

 

2UU

Controvert - Recover: 2GG

 

RED

 

R

Firebolt - Flashback 4R

Reckless Charge - Flashback 2R

Engulfing Flames - Flashback 3R

Lava Dart - You can't flash this back without some land changing shenanigans

 

XR

Flaming Gambit - Flashback XRR

 

XXR

Conflagrate - Flashback - RR, Discard X Cards

 

1R

Punishing Fire - Opponent Gains Life, R

Ancient Grudge - Flashback G

Recoup - Flashback 3R

Flash of Defiance - Flashback 1R, 3 Life

Flaring Pain - Flashback R

Volcanic Spray - Flashback 1R

 

XRR

Firecat Blitz - RR, Sacrifice X Mountains (Needs land change shenanigans)

 

 

2R

Squee, Goblin Nabob - Upkeep

 

1RR

Hammer of Bogardan - Upkeep, 2RRR

Thunderblade Charge - Damage Trigger, 2RRR

 

3R

Sandstorm Eidolon - Play a gold spell

Seize the Day - Flashback 2R

Back to Bits - Flashback 4RR

Earth Rift - Flashback 5RR

Scorching Missle - Flashback 9R

 

2RR

Icefall - Recover RR

Rekindled Flame - Your Upkeep, Opponent has no hands

 

4R

Shard Phoenix - Upkeep, RRR

 

3RR

Magma Phoenix - Anytime, 3RR

Lightning Surge - Flashback 5RR

 

4RR

Skarrgan Firebird - Opponent dealt Damage: RRR

 

8R

Volley of Boulders - Flashback RRRRRR

 

 

W

Gaze of Justice - Flashback 5W

 

1W

Sun's Bonty - Recover: 1W

Ray of Revalation - Flashback G

Momentary Blink - Flashback 3U

 

2W

Embolden - Flashback 1W

Prismatic Strands - Flashback: Tap a White Creature

 

1WW

Marhaling Cry - Flashback 3W

 

3W

Spirit Flare - Flashback 1W, 3 Life

Ray of Distortion - Flashback 4WW

Aurora Eidolon - Play a Multicolored spell

Summon the School - Tap 4 Merfolk

 

2WW

Battle Screech - Flashback Tap 3 White Creatures

 

3WW

Glory - 2W Activate Ability

 

5WW

Ancestral Tribute - Flashback: 9WWW

Eternal Dragon - Upkeep, 3WW