Minn, Wily IllusionistHow it works & interactions with other cards

Creating the Phantasmal Army

Minn's first ability triggers specifically when you draw your second card in a single turn. It doesn't matter if you drew them one at a time or both at once; the moment the second card hits your hand, you create a blue Illusion token. These tokens share a communal strength, gaining +1/+0 for every other Illusion you have on the battlefield. The more phantasms you summon, the more lethal each individual token becomes.

From Death Comes Progress

When an Illusion you control dies, Minn allows you to put a permanent card from your hand onto the battlefield. To determine the maximum mana value allowed, you check the Illusion's power as it last existed on the battlefield. If a 1/1 Illusion token was boosted to a 5/1 because you controlled four other Illusions, you can put a permanent with mana value 5 or less into play. This includes lands, which have a mana value of 0.

Strategic Timing

Since Minn triggers on the second card drawn 'each turn,' you should look for ways to draw on your opponents' turns to maximize token production. Additionally, because the death trigger relies on 'power as it last existed,' losing multiple Illusions to a single board wipe can be beneficial. If they all see each other before dying, they all have higher power for the resulting triggers, letting you dump your hand onto the table.

Interaction examples

Drawing into Defense

Minn, Wily IllusionistSolemn Simulacrum

If you have Minn, Wily Illusionist on the battlefield and your Solemn Simulacrum dies, its trigger lets you draw a card. If this is the second card you've drawn this turn, Minn triggers to create a new Illusion token. If an opponent then kills that Illusion while it is a 1/1, Minn's second ability triggers, allowing you to put a permanent with mana value 1 or less from your hand onto the battlefield.

Doubling the Illusions

Minn, Wily IllusionistRoaming Throne

With Roaming Throne on the battlefield naming 'Gnome' or 'Wizard,' Minn's abilities trigger an additional time. When you draw your second card, you create two Illusion tokens instead of one. Because they boost each other, each token enters with more power. If one of those Illusions dies, Minn triggers twice, potentially letting you put two large permanents from your hand onto the battlefield back-to-back.