Mystic
Mystic | |
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Info | |
Cost | |
Type(s) | Action |
Kingdom card? | Yes |
Set |
Dark Ages![]() |
Illustrator(s) | Alayna Danner |
Card text | |
+1 Action + Name a card, then reveal the top card of your deck. If you named it, put it into your hand. |
Mystic is an Action from Dark Ages. When you play it, you guess at the top card of your deck, and draw it if you're right. It's essentially an expensive Silver if you can't guess correctly, and is therefore most suited to decks where you have a reliable way of controlling or finding out what's on top of your deck.
Contents |
FAQ
Official FAQ
- You get +1 Action and + .
- Then name a card ("Copper," for example - not "Treasure") and reveal the top card of your deck; if you named the card you revealed, put the revealed card into your hand.
- If you did not name the right card, put the revealed card back on top.
- Names need to match exactly for you to get the card; for example Sir Destry and Sir Martin do not match.
- You do not need to name a card available in the Supply.
Other rules clarifications
Strategy
Mystic is a weak non-terminal payload card that is sometimes a cantrip. Drawing a card with Mystic is usually dependent on a mix of deck tracking, luck, and supporting effects, but if you guess incorrectly, Mystic is effectively a stop card, and a very inefficient one (especially in comparison to Silver) in that it generates only while costing . Thus, Mystic is usually outcompeted by other cards costing and has a high opportunity cost. It is most valuable when you can reliably use it as a Peddler variant in a draw-limited Kingdom.
In order to use Mystic as perfectly reliable cantrip payload, you need to consistently name the next card correctly. The only way to remove luck from this operation is via some form of support. This support can include other effects that inspect and reorder the top of your deck such as Sentry, or topdecking effects such as Artisan. Some effects can even reorder multiple cards on top of your deck, for example Wandering Minstrel or Apothecary, so a single play of such a card can set up multiple Mystics for guaranteed draw. Finally, Mystic can also use information from Attacks that set the top card of your deck (such as Clerk) and may therefore reduce the impact of such cards. Mystic is less likely to pay off in decks where you can't guarantee a hit, but if you're using it anyway, playing it after all your draw cards will improve your odds of guessing correctly. If you need a specific card from your deck to fruitfully continue your turn, it may be useful to name that card even if it isn't the most likely one.
Some decks can make use of Mystic even if it is unlikely to draw. Most often, this is the case in decks that are mostly using it as Action-based payload alongside abundant draw; this is most likely to occur with cards such as Tactician or Scrying Pool. Less frequently, revealing the top card of your deck can activate beneficial effects in other cards that care about that card, such as Native Village, Chariot Race, or additional Mystics.
Mystic synergizes very well with Way of the Chameleon, which turns it into excellent non-terminal draw, equivalent to a Laboratory that draws a third card if you can guess it correctly.
External strategy articles
Note: Article(s) below are by individual authors and may not represent the community's current views on cards, but may provide more in-depth information or give historical perspective. Caveat emptor.
Versions
English versions
Digital | Text | Release | Date | |
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+1 Action + Name a card. Reveal the top card of your deck. If it's the named card, put it into your hand. |
Dark Ages 1st Edition | August 2012 |
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+1 Action + Name a card, then reveal the top card of your deck. If you named it, put it into your hand. |
Dark Ages 2nd Edition | September 2017 |
Other language versions
Trivia
Secret History
Relevant outtakes
