Brainstealer DragonHow it works & interactions with other cards

Stealing the Spotlight

At the beginning of your end step, Brainstealer Dragon triggers, exiling the top card of every opponent's library. You gain the ability to play these cards for as long as they remain exiled, meaning even if the Dragon is removed later, you still have access to those cards. If you choose to cast a spell this way, you can spend mana as though it were mana of any color, ensuring you aren't color-screwed by your opponents' deck choices.

The Price of Admission

The Dragon's second ability is a triggered ability that fires whenever a nonland permanent owned by an opponent enters the battlefield under your control. The opponent who owns that permanent loses life equal to its mana value. This applies to cards played via the Dragon's first ability, but it also triggers for permanents stolen through other effects or reanimated from an opponent's graveyard.

Timing and Restrictions

When you play cards exiled by Brainstealer Dragon, you must follow all normal timing rules. You can play a land only during your main phase while the stack is empty (and only if you have a land play available), and you can only cast creature or sorcery spells during those same windows. Note that the life-loss ability only cares about 'nonland' permanents; playing a stolen land will not trigger the life loss.

Common Pitfalls

A common mistake is forgetting that the life loss is based on the permanent's mana value, not its power or toughness. Additionally, remember that you must still pay the costs to cast the stolen spells unless another effect says otherwise. The Dragon only provides the permission to play the cards and the mana fixing to do so.

Interaction examples

Reanimating Terror

Sheoldred, Whispering One

If you have Sheoldred, Whispering One and Brainstealer Dragon on the battlefield, you can use Sheoldred's upkeep ability to target a creature card in an opponent's graveyard. When that creature enters the battlefield under your control, Brainstealer Dragon's ability triggers, causing the owner to lose life equal to that creature's mana value.

Casting from Exile

Massacre Wurm

During your end step, Brainstealer Dragon exiles your opponent's Massacre Wurm. On your next turn, you cast Massacre Wurm using mana of any color. As Massacre Wurm enters the battlefield under your control, Brainstealer Dragon triggers, dealing 6 damage to your opponent because Massacre Wurm's mana value is 6. Then, Massacre Wurm's own ability triggers, giving your opponents' creatures -2/-2.