Head Games

Sorcery

Target opponent puts the cards from his or her hand on top of his or her library. Search that player's library for that many cards. The player puts those cards into his or her hand, then shuffles his or her library.

Legality

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

Discussion (51)

Sc000t on Xiahou Doom

10 months ago

Profet93

Thank you for your time looking at the list and input! This list has been experimental for a while but its finally getting to play in public and some of your suggestions are going to be added in! I understand the lack of spells for the scepter might make that card look like a dud, but thats why the list has tutors to grab the right spell depending on the situation. The list is convoluted with multiple different lines to take. It's designed like that so it wont play out the same way each game. Sometimes its a turn 3/4 win other times its a messy hour and a half long game. Yes, Head Games is nuts!!! Especially with recursion, everyone gets a meme hand!! Suggesting Opposition Agent will be useful and in some cases, SPICY! Since this list does not revolve around Shadowborn Apostles anymore, Infernal Darkness looks like the right replacement. (Although everyone at one card shop HATES that effect) Playing with more control might be the best route to take since this list gets a lot of threat. Adding Karn, the Great Creator 100% and with some cheaper kill spells that would slow the table down for enough time to assemble the right pieces to have more time to win.

1) Insidious Dreams is not usually cast unless you have citadel on the field. It's a spell that you wouldnt cast if you suspected someone would counter it.

2) Sacrifice works effectively when Razaketh, the Foulblooded or Rune-Scarred Demon are out for extra mana to cast the high cmc spells you tutored with them.

3) Warlock Class is used for it's loss of life effect to start the Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood combo for 1 mana. The second reason it's in the list is the level 3 effect that mimics wound reflection, and would kill any player that pays half their life to counter Temporal Extortion.

4) Darkness is useful against some friends' lists that dish out a lot of damage. The spell can be recurred with Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed's ability but can also be put on the scepter.

From your suggestions: Karn, the Great Creator, Imp's Mischief, Syphon Mind, Opposition Agent, Mana Vault, Read the Bones, Sign in Blood, Peer into the Abyss, and Dauthi Voidwalker all seem to be good cards to add. Might consider moving Sensei's Divining Top from another list into this one for better card draw and also Skullclamp might make a return.

ClockworkSwordfish on Mind Over Matter

1 year ago

Sen Triplets is a lot of fun, and it's always good to see the gals still kicking in a world where some might argue better alternatives might exist to fit the same niche.

The control shell definitely fits the Triplets well, but I feel like a good chunk of your deck is gummed up with giant creatures who maybe don't play too well with your strategy! Sure, a number of them can bring home the bacon, but... what's Nemesis of Reason doing? You'll never mill your opponent out, and a number of decks would actually benefit from having ten cards placed in the bin more often than not. Thistledown Liege and Glen Elendra Liege are best in an aggressive deck with lots of cheap multicoloured creatures, not a slower control deck that aims to take its time. Archon of the Triumvirate and Drogskol Reaver have fine abilities, but how often will they be stuck in your hand while you're struggling to hit seven mana? I think cheaper cards that support your main strategy might be wiser in their place.

One thing that's easy to miss about the Triplets is that they stop your opponent from activating any abilities - even mana abilities, so that means your chosen patsy is prevented from tapping lands on your turn! An easy way to capitalize on that is with cheap taxing effects on your own turn, such as Crystal Shard or Erratic Portal - your foe won't be able to resist your cheap bounce effects, and hey presto, the Triplets mean you can play whatever creature you returned to his hand. Nice! Fade Away can be another real killer, ensuring your opponent is ditching a ton of permanents if he has a sizable number of creatures.

Some more classic pairings I think you left out are Exotic Orchard/Fellwar Stone - it's easy to forget that you need to actually be able to pay for the cards you steal from your opponent, including off-colour mana. Taking his lands is definitely a possibility, but the Orchard/Stone guarantees you'll have your opponent's colours on hand (and will more often than not give you a colour you can use anyway since you're running three colours!)

The last wicked piece of tech I had success with was Jester's Mask/Head Games. You can hand-pick a custom shopping list of whatever you like from your opponent's deck to play - or at the very least, pick out some stuff that won't come back to haunt you when their turn rolls around.

Good luck and hope this helps!

Rocketman988 on Defile Me Daddy Rakdos

1 year ago

Hey 77hi77! I love the angle you are going for with the deck, the "playing like a demon" role. I really like the token subtheme, and it feels like you could lean into that even more to give you more breathing room to swing with Rakdos. With more emphasis on a token subtheme, you wouldn't set your board back as much when you swing with Rakdos for "revenge" when your besties turn on you. Instead of resource denial, he'd play as incentive for others to leave you alone OR ELSE. Flavor wise, the legion of tokens would represent your minions that are sacrificed to get what you want.

Burn Down the House, Dance with Devils, and Devils' Playground would fill out the devil token subtheme you have going on, and Asmodeus the Archfiend, Fiendish Duo, Mayhem Devil, and Sin Prodder add even more devil synergy that aligns with the deck goals.

Army of the Damned, Carrion, Curse of Opulence, Dreadfeast Demon, Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder, Wand of Orcus, and Infernal Genesis are all great token cards that fit the infernal theme. Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer plus pump effects means permanent goaded enemy creatures and treasures for you to ramp with or sac to Rakdos as long as he's on the field. Speaking of pump, Arterial Alchemy can increase the power of your creatures, makes 4 permanents to sacrifice, and gives the deck even more draw power. Bloodthirsty Blade is a great demonic artifact to gift to problematic creatures. Black Market Connections gives you ramp, card draw, or tokens depending on what you need at the moment. Bite of the Black Rose is a super fun "choose your doom' flavor card. Head Games is a terrific demonic deal- while searching their library, see what deals they're willing to give you in order to get what they want. If they don't make a deal with you, they pay the price.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Rakdos's abilities are not targeted abilities, so Wyll's Reversal cannot copy Rakdos's sacrifice triggers. Likewise, you can copy Rakdos's on attack ability, but it will just make YOU sacrifice half your permanents again. Since Rakdos's ability does not target, so new targets cannot be selected for it; copying his abilities just does it again to the same person it would already affect. Additionally, Rakdos's abilities have separate triggers- one that triggers on your attack and one that triggers on dealing damage to an opponent. So you do have to deal damage to an opponent to copy the opponent sacrifice ability with Strionic Resonator or Lithoform Engine. That being said, Maze of Ith is an ability that goes on the stack when activated, so it can be responded to with cards like Bolt Bend, Not of this World, Deflecting Swat, etc. Maze of Ith and instant speed interaction usually targets too, so Lightning Greaves/Swiftfoot Boots help a lot with that too.

God-Eternal-Magic-Player on The Legacy of the Igniter

1 year ago

Okay, I'm just commenting as I'm looking up those cards and I laughed out loud when I saw Head Games, that is hilarious! Forcefeed, get them the same color lands and boom dmg!

LuPe2593 on Balthor, the OG

3 years ago

Ashnod's Altar , Bottomless Vault , Ebon Stronghold , Everglades , Field of Ruin , Terminal Moraine , Head Games , Diabolic Tutor , Demonic Tutor , Harvester of Souls , Read the Bones , Cover of Darkness , Boneknitter , Erratic Portal

ZombieCat on Looming Shadows {Tergrid Brutal Build}

3 years ago

Profet93

I've never seen Head Games prior to researching Tergrid so finding that card just solidified how much I wanted to build her.

I honestly might have to cut in Crucible of Worlds due to all the stax effects as you pointed out. You've got some great rec's and I really appreciate them. I'll be sure to check into your friends deck soon!

ZombieCat on Looming Shadows {Tergrid Brutal Build}

3 years ago

Profet93

Thanks for the upvote, much appreciated and I absolutely love the Head Games combo, as far as I know I'm the first to figure out that one.

Infernal Darkness is good but I don't like the cumulative upkeep of since that's mana I could be using for a spell or effect. I do have one in my binder just in case.

Mind Twist is a great card in the deck but I don't like the mana intensive side of X.

Ill-Gotten Gains already got a foil one, amazing card. Considering it.

Cavern of Souls and Boseiju, Who Shelters All - How did I overlook these!?

As for Megrim like cards, I want to thoroughly test them out before cutting them. I figure if I make someone discard their hand that's automatic 14 damage.

Extraplanar Lens I run in my Avacyn, Krenko and Korlash builds (On my profile) and I've never had issues running 24 or less basics with it. If I need to I might up the land count to 32.

Thank you so much for your feed back, gave me a lot to think about wish list some stuff.

DragonOfTheWest on Card creation challenge

3 years ago

I think the "up to" wording is so that if you can't find the full number for some reason, you're still allowed to find as many as you can. Without that, it's all-or-none, but you still have the option to find none.

The only time you're forced to find cards is with something like Head Games that doesn't have any restrictions on the characteristics of the cards you're searching for.