Unscrupulous AgentHow it works & interactions with other cards

A Detective's Entrance

Unscrupulous Agent features a triggered ability that occurs as soon as it enters the battlefield. Unlike standard discard effects, this card forces the opponent to exile a card from their hand, meaning the card is removed from the game entirely and usually cannot be recovered from the graveyard. The opponent chooses which card to exile, but they must choose one if they have any cards in hand.

Resolving the Trigger

When Unscrupulous Agent enters the battlefield, you place its ability on the stack and choose a target opponent. When the ability resolves, that opponent looks at their hand and selects one card to move to the exile zone. Because the ability targets a player, it can be prevented by effects that give a player hexproof, but it does not matter what types of cards are in the opponent's hand.

Strategic Timing

Since this is an 'enters' ability, it is most effective when your opponent has a small hand size, increasing the likelihood they will have to exile something essential to their strategy. It also serves as a cheap body to block or sacrifice after its primary job of exiling a card is done. Remember that the choice of which card to exile is entirely up to your opponent, not you.

Interaction examples

Early Game Mana and Disruption

Ornithopter of Paradise

On turn one, you might play a land and cast Ornithopter of Paradise. On turn two, you use the mana from the Ornithopter of Paradise and another land to cast Unscrupulous Agent. This allows you to apply pressure and force your opponent to exile a card while you still have a mana-producing creature ready for the following turn.

Pressure and Attrition

Blood Artist

If you have Blood Artist on the battlefield and then play Unscrupulous Agent, you immediately force your opponent to exile a resource. Later, if Unscrupulous Agent is destroyed or sacrificed, Blood Artist will trigger, draining 1 life from your opponent and gaining you 1 life. This combination punishes the opponent for both the Agent's entrance and its eventual departure.