Magus of the Chains is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
If a player would draw a card except the first one they draw in each of their draw steps, that player discards a card instead. If the player discards a card this way, they draw a card. If the player doesn't discard a card this way, they mill a card.
Complete guide
Magus of the Chains is a fascinating playtest creature that brings the taxing nature of Chains of Mephistopheles to a Human Wizard. This card turns every extra draw into a dangerous choice, forcing players to cycle through their hand or lose their deck. It is a powerful tool for disruption that changes the flow of the game by punishing card advantage.
What It Does
Magus of the Chains creates a replacement effect that applies to any card draw except for the very first card a player draws during their own draw step. Instead of drawing, the player must attempt to discard a card. If they successfully discard, they then proceed to draw the card as originally intended. If they cannot discard because their hand is empty, they must mill the top card of their library instead, forfeiting the draw entirely.
Resolving the Effect Step-by-Step
When a player is instructed to draw a card (beyond the first in their draw step), follow these steps: First, check if the player has any cards in hand. If they do, the player chooses and discards one card. Because they discarded, the second part of the Magus's ability kicks in, allowing them to draw a card. If the player's hand was empty at the start of this process, the 'discard' action is impossible. In this case, the player mills one card from the top of their library, and no draw occurs.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is assuming that drawing multiple cards at once bypasses this effect. According to Rule 121.2, if an effect tells you to draw multiple cards, you actually draw them one at a time. Magus of the Chains checks each individual draw. If you are empty-handed and cast a spell to draw two cards, you will mill for the first draw, and since you still have no cards, you will mill again for the second draw. Another common mistake is thinking you can choose to mill while you have cards in hand; you must discard if you are able to.
When to Play It
This card is best utilized in strategies that limit the opponent's resources or benefit from cards being put into graveyards. Since it sits on a 1/2 creature body for two mana, it is easier to remove than an enchantment, but it provides an immediate hurdle for any deck relying on heavy card draw or 'cantrips'. It is especially punishing against decks that try to rebuild from a low-resource state.
Interaction examples
Ornithopter of ParadiseIf you have an Ornithopter of Paradise in your hand and Magus of the Chains is on the battlefield, and you are instructed to draw an extra card, you must discard a card. You choose to discard the Ornithopter of Paradise. Because you discarded a card, you now proceed to draw the card you were originally supposed to get. Your hand size remains the same, but you have 'filtered' your deck.
Blood ArtistImagine your hand is empty and you have a Blood Artist on the battlefield. An effect tries to make you draw a card. Since you cannot discard, Magus of the Chains forces you to mill one card. No draw happens, so your hand remains empty. The Blood Artist stays on the field, but you have lost the opportunity to find more spells, and you are one card closer to an empty library.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Magus of the Chains
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The effects of more than one Magus of the Chains are cumulative. If there are two of these on the battlefield, each of them will modify each draw (after the first one if during the draw step) and will cause the player to discard or to mill a card. As they resolve in order, the player must discard if possible. Once the player fails to discard and instead mills a card, all further effects of each additional Magus of the Chains will not do anything. This is because the mill also replaces the draw effect and the player is no longer drawing a card. You handle them in order. Each one makes you discard first and then continue or else mill a card and lose the draw.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect instructs you to draw multiple cards, you draw those cards one at a time. Apply the effect of Magus of the Chains to each one.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Here’s what happens when Magus of the Chains replaces a player’s draw: — If that player has at least one card in their hand, they discard a card and then draw a card. — If that player’s hand is empty, they mill a card. The player doesn’t draw a card at all.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Playtest cards aren’t legal for play in any tournament format other than Mystery Booster Limited formats. On the other hand, we expect they will spice up a wide variety of non-tournament games (as long as everyone’s on the same page about using them!).
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Playtest cards use a modified version of game symbols, such as
and 
. These modified symbols should be treated as the standard symbols during play.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
For many playtest cards, you’ll need to make a generous assumption that basic game rules would be updated to allow them to work. The Mystery Booster 2 Playtest Card Notes section (reproduced here in individual Gatherer rulings) provides guidance for fitting these cards into the existing rules structure.
No other card is named in this ruling.
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Meta decks with Magus of the Chains
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