Demonic ConsultationHow it works & interactions with other cards

What It Does

For a single black mana, you name any card that exists in Magic: The Gathering. You then exile the top six cards of your library and begin revealing cards one by one until you find the named card. That card goes to your hand, and everything else revealed along the way is exiled forever. If the card isn't found, you simply exile your entire library.

How It Resolves Step by Step

First, the spell resolves and you choose a card name; you do not name the card when you cast it. Second, you exile the top six cards of your library as a mandatory initial cost. Third, you reveal cards from the top of your library one at a time. As soon as you reveal the named card, the process stops. Finally, you put the named card into your hand and all other cards revealed during this process are moved to the exile zone.

Common Mistakes

The biggest mistake is forgetting that if the named card is among the first six cards exiled, you will never find it, as the search only starts after those six are gone. Another common misconception is that exiling your library causes an immediate loss. You only lose the game if you are required to draw a card and your library is empty. Lastly, remember that this spell does not target, so your choice of card name happens only during resolution, giving opponents no chance to respond once the name is chosen.

When to Play It

Demonic Consultation is best used when you are one piece away from winning the game and can afford the risk of losing your library. It is also frequently used defensively to find a specific interaction piece, or strategically to empty your library intentionally if you have a win condition that benefits from having no cards left to draw.

Interaction examples

The Perfect Setup

Vampiric Tutor

To ensure you don't exile your target, you can cast Vampiric Tutor first to put a specific card on top of your library. However, if you then cast Demonic Consultation naming that card, the first six cards exiled will include the card you just tutored for, resulting in your entire library being exiled. To avoid this, you would need to draw the tutored card or ensure it is deeper than the top six cards.

Fast Mana Efficiency

Dark Ritual

You cast Dark Ritual to add three black mana. You use one of that mana to cast Demonic Consultation. Because the spell is so cheap, you still have two black mana remaining in your pool to immediately cast the card you find, provided you didn't exile your win condition in the first six cards.

Fishing for an Answer

If your opponent is about to win, you cast Demonic Consultation naming a specific counterspell. You exile the top six cards. If the counterspell is the seventh card, you put it in your hand and exile nothing else. If it is the 40th card, you exile 39 cards to get it. If it was in the first six, you exile your whole library and must win before your next draw step.