Discerning TasteHow it works & interactions with other cards

How Discerning Taste Functions

When you cast Discerning Taste, you look at the top four cards of your library. You choose one of these cards to put into your hand, and the remaining three cards are placed into your graveyard. The spell then checks the power of the creature cards specifically among those three that were just moved to the graveyard to determine how much life you gain.

Step-by-Step Resolution

First, identify the top four cards of your library. Second, select any one card and move it to your hand. Third, move the other three cards to your graveyard. Finally, look at the creature cards now in the graveyard that were put there by this spell; find the one with the highest power and gain that much life. If no creature cards were put into the graveyard this way, you gain 0 life.

Common Pitfalls

Remember that you only gain life based on the cards put into the graveyard, not the card you put into your hand. If you take a massive creature into your hand, it won't count toward your life gain. Additionally, this spell uses the 'printed' power of the creature cards in the graveyard, including any characteristic-defining abilities that function in all zones.

Strategic Timing

This spell is best played when your deck contains high-power creatures that you want in your graveyard, such as reanimation targets. It is also excellent for stabilizing against aggressive decks, as it finds a defensive answer while replacing lost life.

Interaction examples

Digging for Answers

Demonic Tutor

If you need a specific card, you can use Discerning Taste to look at four cards. If you see Demonic Tutor, you can put it into your hand to search for any card later, while the other three cards potentially gain you life and fill your graveyard for later recursion.

Paying the Price

Toxic Deluge

Toxic Deluge requires you to pay life as a cost. By casting Discerning Taste first and hitting a high-power creature like a 6/6, you can gain enough life to safely pay for a large X value on Toxic Deluge to clear a board of high-toughness threats.