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Thoughtseize

Sorcery

Target player reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. You lose 2 life.

CMC
1
Mana cost
{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
rare
Set
Magic Online Promos
Price
—
EDHREC rank
#4364
Buy on TCGplayer
Thoughtseize card art
Thoughtseize is the cleanest answer to a problem card that hasn't hit the table yet — you name it, they discard it, no questions asked. The 2-life payment is real but rarely relevant; what matters is that you can strip a Worldfire or a combo piece on turn one before the board state makes removal irrelevant. Tinybones, Bauble Burglar turns that discard trigger into card advantage, which makes the life loss feel even more like a rounding error.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Tinybones, Bauble Burglar

Tinybones, Bauble Burglar

30.6% of decks · synergy 0.26

Thoughtseize is a near-auto-include here because Tinybones, Bauble Burglar rewards you every time an opponent discards — the discard-to-draw engine means Thoughtseize replaces itself while also gutting the opponent's hand.

02
Tinybones, Trinket Thief

Tinybones, Trinket Thief

29.3% of decks · synergy 0.25

Tinybones, Trinket Thief drains opponents whenever they discard with no cards in hand, so landing a Thoughtseize early sets up both hand disruption and a life-loss clock at the same time.

03
Tinybones, the Pickpocket

Tinybones, the Pickpocket

29.3% of decks · synergy 0.25

Tinybones, the Pickpocket can cast spells exiled from opponents' graveyards, and Thoughtseize is the cleanest way to route a dangerous card from hand to graveyard where Tinybones can leverage it.

04

Tergrid, God of Fright

27.7% of decks · synergy 0.23

Tergrid, God of Fright converts discarded permanents into free permanents for you, so Thoughtseize doubles as removal and ramp whenever an opponent is forced to pitch a land or artifact.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

In Legacy and Vintage, Thoughtseize is a format-defining one-drop that has earned its place as one of the best discard spells ever printed — the ability to name any nonland card covers countermagic, combo pieces, and threats that Duress or Inquisition of Kozilek can't touch. Modern and Pioneer treat it as the go-to hand-disruption spell in black decks, where the 2-life cost is a known, accepted toll in exchange for complete flexibility. Commander is the format where Thoughtseize is slightly weaker in raw terms — hitting one player out of three or four is a real diminishing return — but it earns its slot in discard-synergy builds and high-powered pods where stopping a single combo piece on turn one is worth more than the card disadvantage.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Thoughtseize has been reprinted several times and is widely available, though foil and older printings carry a meaningful premium over the standard versions. Current pricing fluctuates across editions, so checking Scryfall or your preferred vendor for the specific printing you want is the right move before buying.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.