Traumatize 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
Target player mills half their library, rounded down.
Complete guide
Traumatize is a powerful blue sorcery that can instantly deplete a significant portion of an opponent's resources. By forcing a player to mill half their library, it sets the stage for graveyard-based strategies or a swift victory through decking. Whether you are targeting yourself for a combo or your foe for the win, this card makes a massive impact on the game state.
What It Does
Traumatize targets a specific player and forces them to move half of the cards remaining in their library into their graveyard. The number of cards is calculated based on the total number of cards currently in that player's library at the moment the spell resolves. Crucially, if the library contains an odd number of cards, you round the number of cards moved down.
How It Resolves Step by Step
First, you choose a target player upon casting. When the spell resolves, you count the number of cards in that player's library. You divide that number by two and round down to find the result. The target player then takes that many cards from the top of their library and puts them into their graveyard. As per official rulings, the player may choose the order in which these cards are placed into the graveyard.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is rounding up instead of down; for example, if a player has 45 cards in their library, Traumatize will move 22 cards to the graveyard, not 23. Another mistake is forgetting that this is a targeted spell. If a player has Hexproof, they cannot be chosen as the target for Traumatize. Lastly, remember that milling half a library does not count as 'drawing' cards, so it will not trigger abilities related to drawing.
When to Play It
Traumatize is most effective early in the game when libraries are full, as it maximizes the number of cards moved to the graveyard. It is a cornerstone for mill decks that aim to make an opponent lose by being unable to draw a card. Alternatively, it can be used on yourself if your deck relies on reanimation or graveyard synergies to function.
Interaction examples
If your opponent has 50 cards left in their library, you cast Traumatize targeting them. Upon resolution, they count their library, divide by two (25), and put the top 25 cards into their graveyard.
If your opponent has 11 cards left in their library, you cast Traumatize. Half of 11 is 5.5. Because the card specifies to round down, the player mills exactly 5 cards, leaving them with 6 cards in their library.
Raise the PalisadeYou cast Raise the Palisade, choosing 'Human' to clear the opponent's non-Human blockers back to their hand. Now that their defenses are gone, you cast Traumatize on your next turn to fill their graveyard with the resources they were unable to protect, potentially removing key cards they needed for a comeback.
Distant MelodyAfter casting Distant Melody to draw a massive amount of cards based on your Merfolk count, you find Traumatize. You cast it to mill half of your opponent's library, drastically reducing the number of turns they have left before they run out of cards, while your hand remains full of answers.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Traumatize
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The player can put the cards in their graveyard in any order they choose.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Bruvac the Grandiloquent + Traumatize
- 1Cast Traumatize by paying its mana cost, causing an opponent to mill a number of cards equal to half their library, rounded down, times two due to Bruvac.
Fraying Sanity + Traumatize
- 1Cast Traumatize by paying
, causing an opponent to mill half their library, rounded down. - 2At the beginning of your end step, Fraying Sanity triggers, causing the opponent to mill cards equal to the number of cards put into their graveyard this turn.
Riverchurn Monument + Traumatize
- 1Cast Traumatize by paying , causing a player to mill half their library, rounded down.
- 2Activate Riverchurn Monument's exhaust ability by paying
and tapping it, causing each player to mill cards equal to the number of cards in their graveyard, thus causing the player targeted by Traumatize to mill the rest of their library.
Phenax, God of Deception + Consuming Aberration + Traumatize
- 1Cast Traumatize by paying its mana cost, causing an opponent to mill half their library, rounded down.
- 2Activate Consuming Aberration by tapping it, causing the opponent to mill cards equal to the cards in opponents' graveyards, milling the remainder of their library.
Traumatize + Keening Stone
- 1Cast Traumatize by paying , causing an opponent to mill half their library, rounded down.
- 2Activate Keening Stone by paying
and tapping it, causing the opponent to mill cards equal to the number of cards in their graveyard, thus milling the rest of their library.
Phenax, God of Deception + Sewer Nemesis + Traumatize
- 1Cast Traumatize by paying , causing the player named by Sewer Nemesis to mill half their library, rounded down.
- 2Activate Sewer Nemesis by tapping it, causing the player to mill cards equal to the cards in their graveyard, likely milling the remainder of their library.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Traumatize
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.