Mindslaver 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
,
, Sacrifice Mindslaver: You control target player during that player's next turn. (You see all cards that player could see and make all decisions for them.)
Complete guide
Mindslaver is one of the most powerful and feared artifacts in Magic: The Gathering, offering the ultimate form of interference: taking over an opponent's mind. By sacrificing this legendary machine, you step into the shoes of another player, making every tactical decision for them during their own turn. It is a unique effect that tests your knowledge of both your deck and your opponent's resources.
What It Does
When you activate Mindslaver, you gain control of target player during their next turn. This means you see everything they see—their hand, face-down cards they control, and even the top of their library if an effect allows them to look at it. You make all choices that the player is allowed to make, including which spells to cast, which abilities to activate, and how to attack or block.
How It Resolves Step by Step
First, you must pay the four mana, tap Mindslaver, and sacrifice it as part of the activation cost. Once the ability resolves, nothing happens immediately; the effect waits for that player's next turn to begin. When that turn starts, you become the decision-maker for that player. You use only their resources (mana, cards, life) to pay for their actions. You cannot make them do anything illegal, such as casting a sorcery during combat or paying mana they don't have. Once the turn ends, control reverts to the original player.
Common Mistakes
A common misconception is that you control the player's permanents. In reality, you only control the player; the permanents are still controlled by your opponent, which matters for cards that check 'permanents you control.' Additionally, you cannot force a player to concede, as conceding is a tournament action outside the game's mechanical flow. You also cannot access their sideboard, even if you cast a 'Wish' spell for them, because the sideboard is not a zone you can view while controlling another player.
When to Play It
Mindslaver is best used when your opponent has a complex board state or a hand full of resources you can waste. The goal is often to 'sabotage' them by casting their best spells on useless targets, attacking with their utility creatures into your blockers, or using their removal spells on their own permanents. If you have a way to recur artifacts from your graveyard, you can potentially create a 'Mindslaver lock' to control every one of their turns.
Interaction examples
Gilded LotusIf your opponent controls a Gilded Lotus, you can tap it during the turn you control them to add three mana to their pool, then spend that mana on a spell that hurts their position or simply let the mana vanish as the phase ends, depriving them of that resource for their actual defensive needs.
Vanquisher's BannerIf you force your opponent to cast Vanquisher's Banner while you control them, you choose the creature type. You can choose a type that they don't have in their deck, such as 'Sponge' or 'Brushwagg,' rendering the anthem and draw effects completely useless for the rest of the game.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Mindslaver
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The player you're controlling is still the active player during that turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
You could gain control of yourself using Mindslaver, but gaining control of yourself doesn't really do anything.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
You only control the player. You don't control any of that player's permanents, spells, or abilities.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
While controlling another player, you also continue to make your own choices and decisions.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
While controlling another player, you make all choices and decisions that player is allowed to make or is told to make during that turn. This includes choices about what spells to cast or what abilities to activate, as well as any decisions called for by triggered abilities or for any other reason.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
You can't make the affected player concede. That player may choose to concede at any time, even while you're controlling that player.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
You can't make any illegal decisions or illegal choices—you can't do anything that player couldn't do. You can't make choices or decisions for that player that aren't called for by the game rules or by any cards, permanents, spells, abilities, and so on. If an effect causes another player to make decisions that the affected player would normally make (such as Master Warcraft does), that effect takes precedence. In other words, if the affected player wouldn't make a decision, you wouldn't make that decision on that player's behalf.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
You also can't make any choices or decisions for the player that would be called for by the tournament rules (such as whether to take an intentional draw or whether to call a judge).
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
You can use only the affected player's resources (cards, mana, and so on) to pay costs for that player; you can't use your own. Similarly, you can use the affected player's resources only to pay that player's costs; you can't spend them on your costs.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
If the targeted player skips their next turn, you'll control the next turn the affected player actually takes.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
Multiple player-controlling effects that affect the same player overwrite each other. The last one to be created is the one that works.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
While controlling another player, you can see all cards in the game that player can see. This includes cards in that player's hand, face-down cards that player controls, and any cards in that player's library the player may look at.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #13· Wizards of the Coast
Controlling a player doesn't allow you to look at that player's sideboard. If an effect instructs that player to choose a card from outside the game, you can't have that player choose any card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #14· Wizards of the Coast
In a Two-Headed Giant game, gaining control of a player causes you to gain control of each player on that team.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Mindslaver + Academy Ruins
- 1Use Mindslaver's ability targeting an opponent.
- 2Activate Academy Ruins's ability targeting Mindslaver in graveyard.
- 3Pass to opponent's turn.
- 4Pass to your turn and draw Mindslaver.
- 5Play Mindslaver, use it, and target it with Academy Ruins.
Toph, the First Metalbender + Mindslaver
- 1At the beginning of your end step, Toph triggers, causing Mindslaver to become an artifact land creature.
- 2Activate Mindslaver by paying , tapping and sacrificing it.
- 3Toph triggers, returning Mindslaver from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 4Resolve the Mindslaver ability, causing you to gain control of an opponent during their next turn.
- 5Repeat during each of your turns.
Emry, Lurker of the Loch + Mindslaver
- 1Activate Mindslaver by paying , tapping and sacrificing it, gaining control of target player's next turn.
- 2Activate Emry by tapping it, allowing you to cast Mindslaver from your graveyard this turn.
- 3Cast Mindslaver from your graveyard by paying
. - 4Pass the turn.
- 5End the controlled opponent turn.
- 6Repeat.
Muldrotha, the Gravetide + Mindslaver
- 1Activate Mindslaver by paying , tapping and sacrificing it, gaining control of target player's next turn.
- 2Cast Mindslaver from your graveyard by paying .
- 3Pass the turn.
- 4End the controlled opponent turn.
- 5Repeat.
Esoteric Duplicator + Mindslaver
- 1Activate Mindslaver by paying , tapping and sacrificing it, targeting the next opponent in turn order.
- 2Esoteric Duplicator triggers, causing you to pay
to create a copy of Mindslaver at the beginning of the next end step. - 3Resolve the Mindslaver ability, causing you to control the targeted opponent during their next turn.
- 4At the beginning of the next end step, Esoteric Duplicator triggers, creating a token copy of Mindslaver.
- 5Repeat during each turn, including your opponents' turns, unless you are the next player in turn order.
Mindslaver + Prototype Portal
- 1Activate Prototype Portal by paying and tapping it, creating a token copy of Mindslaver.
- 2Activate the Mindslaver token by paying , tapping and sacrificing it, causing you to gain control of target player during their next turn.
- 3Repeat during each of your turns.
Mishra, Eminent One + Mindslaver + Lithoform Engine + Strionic Resonator
- 1At the beginning of your combat phase, Mishra triggers.
- 2Holding priority, activate Strionic Resonator by paying and tapping it, copying Mishra's trigger.
- 3Resolve the first Mishra trigger, creating a token copy of Mindslaver that is a 4/4 artifact creature named Mishra's Warform in addition to it's other types.
- 4Activate Mishra's Warform by paying , tapping and sacrificing it, targeting an opponent.
- 5Holding priority, activate Lithoform Engine's first ability by paying and tapping it, copying Mishra's Warform's ability, targeting any other opponent.
- 6Resolve both Mishra's Warform abilities, causing you to gain control of the targeted opponents during their next turns.
- 7Resolve the second Mishra trigger from step 1, creating a token copy of Mindslaver that is a 4/4 artifact creature named Mishra's Warform in addition to it's other types.
- 8Activate Mishra's Warform by paying , tapping and sacrificing it, causing you to gain control of an opponent during their next turn.
Tameshi, Reality Architect + Mindslaver
- 1Activate Mindslaver by paying , tapping and sacrificing it, causing you to gain control of target opponent during their next turn.
- 2During your next turn, activate Tameshi by paying
and returning a land you control to your hand, returning Mindslaver from your graveyard to the battlefield. - 3Play any land card from your hand.
- 4Repeat.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Mindslaver
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.