Mindbreak Trap
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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Archenemy Legal
Arena Legal
Block Constructed Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Freeform Legal
Gladiator Legal
Highlander Legal
Historic Legal
Historic Brawl Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Modern Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Planar Constructed Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Rules Q&A

Mindbreak Trap

Instant — Trap

If an opponent cast three or more spells this turn, you may pay rather than pay this spell's mana cost.

Exile any number of target spells.

jsnrice on Atraxa, Grand Unifier

6 months ago

Deck Title: Ascension Through Unity – Atraxa cEDH Food Chain

Commander

Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Color Identity:

Introduction

Welcome to Ascension Through Unity, a competitive EDH build centered around Atraxa, Grand Unifier, the ultimate value engine and a uniquely powerful commander that bridges midrange resilience with combo potential. This list leverages the raw card advantage of Atraxa’s ETB trigger to dig for win conditions, interaction, and fast mana — all while supporting a Food Chain combo core.

This deck is tuned for high-level pods and aims to win fast, interact precisely, and grind smart when necessary.

Win Conditions

Primary Wincon:
- Food Chain + Eternal Scourge / Misthollow Griffin / Flesh Duplicate
Infinite creature mana via Food Chain and one of the exile-recurring creatures.
→ Cast Atraxa, Grand Unifier, dig for Thassa's Oracle or Tainted Pact / Demonic Consultation combo.

Backup Wincons:
- Thassa's Oracle + Tainted Pact / Demonic Consultation
- Finale of Devastation for lethal with infinite mana
- Displacer Kitten combos with The One Ring, Teferi, Time Raveler, or mana rocks for infinite value/actions

Notable Synergies

Staples and Interaction

This deck plays nearly every blue interaction spell you’d expect: - Free Countermagic: Force of Will, Force of Negation, Pact of Negation, Mindbreak Trap, Flusterstormfoil
- Removal: Swords to Plowshares, Abrupt Decay, Chain of Vapor, Toxic Deluge, Culling Ritual
- Tutors: Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor, Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Imperial Seal

And it runs every relevant fast mana: - Mana Crypt, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Mox Opal, Mana Vault, Ancient Tomb

Why Atraxa?

While many commanders offer value, Atraxa’s Grand Unifier trigger is uniquely broken in a deck like this. With a proper build, she can hit: - A creature (e.g. Eternal Scourge, Deathrite Shaman)
- A non-creature spell (e.g. Demonic Consultation)
- An instant (e.g. Swan Song, An Offer You Can't Refuse)
- A sorcery (e.g. Finale of Devastation)
- An artifact (e.g. Sol Ring)
- An enchantment (e.g. Rhystic Study)
- A planeswalker (e.g. Teferi, Time Raveler)

This makes Atraxa a one-card value engine that refills your hand and pivots you into a win turn with proper sequencing.

Power Level & Goals

This deck is firmly cEDH (power level 9.5–10). It’s built for pods where interaction is heavy, turns are fast, and wins are clean.

You’ll thrive if: - You can protect Atraxa, Grand Unifier for at least one trigger
- You pilot your combo lines efficiently
- You mulligan aggressively for interaction or ramp

Mulligan Strategy

Look for: - Turn 1–2 dorks/rocks + tutor
- Food Chain + exile creature opener
- Strong card draw pieces + interaction
- Always mull away clunky high-CMC hands

Weaknesses

  • Susceptible to Drannith Magistrate (unless we remove it)
  • Hate for graveyard/exile recursion (Rest in Peace, etc.)
  • Heavy counterspell matchups if we stumble on mana

Closing Thoughts

Atraxa, Grand Unifier doesn’t just unify card types — she unifies power, control, and combo under one elegantly devastating package. Whether you’re tutoring with efficiency or slamming a turn 4 Food Chain win, this deck rewards mastery and punishes hesitation. Perfect for cEDH players who love versatility and inevitability.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you want a sideboard package or metagame tweaks.

Jund_Machinist on Breya, Doomsday Dominatrix

1 year ago

The main lines for the deck seem to be to either keep the Doomsdayfoil tech in or go with Underworld Breachfoil and a package that supports it. Cards I'm looking at include:

Brain Freeze to combo with Underworld Breachfoil and Lion's Eye Diamond, plus Wheel of Fortune etc.

Sevinne's Reclamation since it allows Intuition to directly tutor the previous combo in regardless of choice with Sevinne's, Underworld Breachfoil and Lion's Eye Diamond.

Final Fortunefoil seems really powerful.

Opposition Agent and Dauthi Voidwalker stronk.

Draw dorks: Ledger Shredder, Faerie Mastermind, Esper Sentinel, also Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff.

For more protection, Ranger-Captain of Eosfoil and Orcish Bowmasters

Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer seems meh unless in your opener.

Smothering Tithe cool, but 4 mana.

An Offer You Can't Refuse, Strix Serenade, Minor Misstep, Mindbreak Trapfoil, Dress Down

austintayshus on Dimir Traps

1 year ago

what do you think of Scheming Symmetry to help trigger your Mindbreak Trap? If I'm not mistaken, it also keeps your opponent from drawing the card they search for.

KongMing on Wizard101 | FREE Download | Play Now!

1 year ago

Thanks for the suggestion Azoth2099. To combo with Naru Meha (without Naban on the field) the spells need to bounce two creatures. Naban being there lowers it to 1, but I like not being dependent on him to fire off a wincon straight from hand.

This deck was originally budget, price creep brought the value of certain cards up like Mindbreak Trap. It also avoids tutoring at all costs to so it can keep digging and maintain its Scryed card at the bottom deck for Tunnel Vision. So Spellseeker is good, but it is a little expensive and actually nonbos with a wincon already here.

hootsnag on Hootsnag Azorius Control

1 year ago

I 100% approve of this deck! I just have one request. Please add Mindbreak Trap. Thank you for the homage :)

Icbrgr on Bauchgefühl: How much would Sheoldred …

2 years ago

I dont think Sheoldred, the Apocalypse will dramatically fall in price anytime soon.

Take Liliana of the Veil and Mindbreak Trap for examples.

The reality is cards are not hard to reprint. Something isn't hard to reprint just because it's got a weird mechanic/theme/name to it. We're not limited to just standard release product where if you reprint something you have to reprint a bunch of cards to go with it for the sake of draft.

WOTC is aware of how long a card hasn't been printed, and aware of how pricey it can get. They can release a reprint of it in any number of products, and will use it as a premium to lure people in whenever they feel like reprinting it.

Liliana of the Veil is a card that reached pre-modern horizon fetch land prices for years.... but when she did get the reprint boy oh boy did she get reprinted... even before re-entering Standard/Pioneer she was a bait/chase card... original printing Liliana of the Veil is still standing at a $20 card as of now. but still like fetch lands held a high price for a long time and will probably climb again as time ticks on.

no i dont think Sheoldred, the Apocalypse has the same kind of demand as lily or fetch lands but is without a doubt a desirable card... and thats where i bring the connection to Mindbreak Trap... its an old niche mythic... reprints are inevitable but depending how spikey CEDH get the lure will remain to be included in the 99.

this is totally from the hip "what my gut says"... im a terrible person to take MTG financial advice from... i bought my Scalding Tarn and Snapcaster Mage playsets at ther peaks lol

plakjekaas on Questioning the Iona Banning

3 years ago

When you mentioned Mindbreak Trap I was that person, and I had only said at that point that white needs more fun ways to win and not more powerful ways to slow down the game. I was arguing for more fun, you responded with "bringing back unfun helps, but not in a fun way. Counterspells aren't fun, so ban unfun". That's a bit of a non-sequitur, to both my and your own words.

The point of my examples was: I dealt with the problem permanents that prevented my most effective strategy, in a way that my deck wasn't designed to do, but forced through without access to the specific tools to remove the problem permanents. I didn't let it ruin my day, I didn't give up on my deck. I improvised, and found a way. It doesn't matter I ignored options, my focus strategy was hosed by a single permanent and it didn't prevent me from having fun. Contrary to every story you told about your mono red artifacts. You don't seem to believe it's possible, yet I did it. That was the point. How'd you miss that?

"If i sound hypocritical, it's specifically because I'm turning your and the RC's hypocritical arguments against themselves."

No, if you sound hypocritical, it's because you state something and then defy your own words in the same argument. That has nothing to do with me or the RC. Like this:

"I specifically said that mono-red has no enchantment removal"

"I Chaos Warp the Leyline? use the one card in red capable of dealing with an indestructible non-creature permanent to deal with 1 "destructible" enchantment?"

How is it relevant that the enchantment is not indestructible if you don't have any other answers for it anyway? Warp removes the enchantment, everytime you said red has no enchantment removal, you were wrong, and wilfully so, because you have examples at the ready of how you used it before! When you need to make your case, however, red has no enchantment removal, and when you're called out, your removal is suddenly too important to use on the card that you say single-handedly disables your entire deck. Of course it can backfire, it literally has chaos in its name. Say, 8/85 chance of hitting something worse, vs. 100% chance of not playing the game when you don't. You even mentioned Mycosynth Lattice as a way to deal with Iona, that also makes the Leyline Abradeable. Liquimetal Torque does the same. That, plus all the colorless removal spells you listed in the original post, is an awful lot of ways to do something you say you absolutely can't. Most of which you've already shown you're familiar with. That's hypocrisy.

Now how relates all of that to Iona? "The one difference between Iona and all other problematic cards you named, is that Iona can be your commander, making sure you still have access to it after Oblivion Stone. That's where it differs from Leyline of the Void which, yes, can be in play from turn 0, but there's going to be a lot of games where it won't, and it probably won't return after the O-stone."

"The rationale for banning Iona is that it leads to a play experience the rules committee wants to discourage, which is locking people out of playing the game. That's paraphrased from the ban article. Not locking out from winning, which is what you're talking about. Also, discourage, not prevent. You can still do it, but a flagship commander for that strategy that, no matter how you build her, it's gonna cause that bad time, that gets banned. Braids, Cabal Minion is banned for the same reason."

But you cleverly ignored the commander part in every response, only replying to what you thought I said was wrong. Y'know, refuting an argument, whereas the real subject of the argument was not addressed or refuted, but instead replaced with a false one. That's the textbook definition of that strawman, that you tried to ban a commenter for. With a little ad hominem on top. It's ok for you to do, but when someone else does it to you, it's suddenly a bannable offense? I like that projection, in relation to the original topic. Hypocrisy.

"I'm not saying that others shouldn't be able to lock me while i can lock others. I'm saying that if i can't lock others in a way that is very difficult for them to respond to, they shouldn't be able to lock me in a way that is very difficult for me to respond to." Exactly. You're arguing an either/or situation and you swing against whichever one you're challenged on. You don't have an opinion, you're fine with anything that's not the way things are now. You want to argue, you don't want to understand. Like a toddler whose toy was taken away and vindictively wants their friend's toy taken away too if they're not getting theirs back.

Wuzibo on Questioning the Iona Banning

3 years ago

plakjekaas

I'm not saying that others shouldn't be able to lock me while i can lock others. Seems like other people picked up on that, but you didn't for some reason.

I'm saying that if i can't lock others in a way that is very difficult for them to respond to, they shouldn't be able to lock me in a way that is very difficult for me to respond to. Iona was my way to lock others. Leyline was the way i was locked. If one goes, both should go. If one stays, both should stay. How'd you miss that?

When i mentioned Leyline of the Void and Rest in Peace as locking a deck out, I specifically said that mono-red has no enchantment removal and I was playing mono-red graveyard artifacts. I said so multiple times. Why wasn't that clear to you?

When i mentioned Mindbreak Trap, it was because that person said trying to play into iona as a mono-colored deck when youre the named color "isn't fun". So i brought up how Minbreak trap countering "uncounterable" stuff is unfun. I guess I should have just said "Having your spells countered is unfun" to keep it simple.

In your "heliod" example, white has no shortage of cards able to exile enchantments. If you chose not to run them, that's on you. You can't say the same about mono-red because red does not have an enchantment removal spell. In your "Juri" example, your commander isn't something which is designed to bring stuff back from the graveyard. Daretti is. And Rakdos has ways to deal with enchantments. Mono red does not. So neither are a fair comparison. Try again

You're suggesting I Chaos Warp the Leyline? use the one card in red capable of dealing with an indestructible non-creature permanent to deal with 1 "destructible" enchantment? Not only that, but Chaos Warp can backfire. I've used it specifically for that reason on turn 2 against a leyline that started out. The guy topdecked ulamog, blew up the one open plains as he came in to prevent a path or stp. It was turn 2. He went after me in turn order, so Ulamog didn't need haste, he could just start attacking. He attacks the guy with white mana to prevent a path, making him sac all his lands. He won, because of chaos warp. And another time, due to an unlucky shuffle, the card i chaos warped came right back out.

I started this thread by saying "if Iona is banned for this reason, leyline of the void should also be banned for the same reason, or, if Leyline isn't worthy of a ban, iona should be unbanned." So you're wrong about how I started this thread. I wasn't arguing for "leyline and RIP to be banned and Iona to be unbanned". I was arguing "ban them all or ban none". I wonder what caused that confusion.

I just want some consistency from the RC. If they're going to ban Iona for shutting down decks in a way that some can't really interact with, LoV and RiP need to be too because they shut down graveyard artifacts in a way some graveyard artifacts decks can't really interact with. You tried to justify LoV and RiP not being banned. I then used your justification for that as justification that iona shouldn't be banned as well. You then tried to justify Iona being banned. I used that justification as justification to ban Leyline and RIP. If i sound hypocritical, it's specifically because I'm turning your and the RC's hypocritical arguments against themselves. It's not that hard to follow.

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