Syphon Mind
Sorcery
Each other player discards a card. You draw a card for each card discarded this way.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Commander 2014
- Price
- $0.35
- EDHREC rank
- #1070
Syphon Mind hits every opponent for a discard and draws you a card for each one who complies — in a four-player pod, that's three cards and three disrupted hands for four mana. It's a staple in any black deck that wants card advantage without spending more than a single spell slot, and Tinybones, Trinket Thief turns each of those forced discards into bonus damage on top.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Tinybones, Trinket Thief
Tinybones, Trinket Thief triggers off every opponent who discards, so Syphon Mind is essentially a four-mana deal-three-damage-to-each-opponent stapled to draw three — exactly the engine Tinybones wants.
Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal rewards opponents having empty hands and punishes them for discarding, making Syphon Mind a natural fit that advances both sides of that gameplan simultaneously.
Tinybones, Bauble Burglar
Tinybones, Bauble Burglar cares about opponents discarding and casting from outside their hand, so Syphon Mind's mass discard fuels the trigger engine reliably on a single card.
Tergrid, God of Fright
Tergrid, God of Fright lets you steal every permanent opponents sacrifice or discard, and while Syphon Mind only hits nonland cards, forcing three opponents to pitch something Tergrid can grab is premium value.
Tinybones, the Pickpocket
Tinybones, the Pickpocket wants opponents with emptied or thinned hands to maximize steal triggers, and Syphon Mind is one of the most efficient ways to clear space in all three hands at once.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Syphon Mind is a Commander card through and through — the effect scales directly with the number of opponents, so the three-player differential in a four-player pod is where it earns its slot. In Pauper it's legal and occasionally shows up in slower black control builds, though the four-mana cost is harder to justify in a two-player context where you draw one card and force one discard. Legacy and Vintage have access to far more efficient discard and draw, so Syphon Mind doesn't compete there despite its legality. Stick to Commander and Pauper multiplayer variants; everywhere else, the card simply doesn't scale.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.35 bulk tier
Syphon Mind sits firmly in bulk territory at $0.35, and given its narrow format home and lack of reprint pressure, that price is stable — don't expect movement in either direction. It's one of the easiest includes in any black Commander deck on a budget.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Tinybones, Trinket Thief
- Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
- Tinybones, Bauble Burglar
- Tergrid, God of Fright
- Tinybones, the Pickpocket
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.