Discard has been around long enough to create some of the best strategies in Magic the Gathering history. It is a really powerful version under the umbrella of Control decks that aim to destroy the opponent’s source of spells: their hand. Without cards in hand, the opponent will be forced to play blindly, relying only on top decks to try and crawl back into the game. Playing a Discard deck takes a lot of skill and game sense to know which cards to play when. However, just like any other deck, the strategy begins with the creation of the deck. So here are the best Discard spells you can use in the Arena. 

15. Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage

What’s good about this card?

• Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage is a card that gives you a lot of advantage when paired with your other discard spells
• As long as your opponent has 2 or fewer cards on hand, you don’t even need to activate Davriel as it can already deal 2 damage per turn
• You can also use its [-1] ability to clean up the opponent’s hand and make them play through top-decks only

TCG Median Value: $0.44

14. Rankle, Master of Pranks

What’s good about this card?

• Rankle, Master of Pranks is like a Swiss army knife that you would love to have in whatever situation you are in
• Although it is not purely a discard card, it is still great to have on your discard deck as it can deal with the other problems that you might encounter
• It has the ability to remove a creature from your opponent’s board and it can also let you draw a card

TCG Median Value: $7.30

13. Disinformation Campaign

What’s good about this card?

• This enchantment was once a staple in discard cards but has become scarce in the competitive scene
• Despite this, it is still a good card to have if you are planning on having a Discard-Surveil synergy on your deck
• It gives you a plus two card advantage as you get to draw a card and let your opponent discard a card when it enters the battlefield

TCG Median Value: $0.25

12. Angrath, the Flame-Chained

What’s good about this card?

• More than just a discard card, Angrath, the Flame-Chained is a powerful planeswalker that can control the game in different ways
• Its [+1] ability damages your opponent's hand as well as their life total as they also lose three life along with their discard
• You can also beat down the opponent with their own creature with its [-3] ability
• Finally, you can deal a lot of damage with its [-8] ability especially if you play with other discard cards against your opponent

TCG Median Value: $6.72

11. Fraying Omnipotence

What’s good about this card?

• Fraying Omnipotence is a double-edged sword that can damage your board state as well
• Despite this, it is still a powerful tool to help you clear the opponent’s board and hand
• When combined with other cards that have discard mechanics, Fraying Omnipotence becomes a really powerful spell

TCG Median Value: $0.49

10. Raiders’ Wake

What’s good about this card?

• Multiple copies of this enchantment will generate a ton of damage and can completely end the game when combined with just a few discard spells
• The 2 damage that Raiders’ Wake can deal every time the opponent discards a card can already stack when you play multiple discard spells in a game
• It also gives you an incentive when you attack with your creatures as you will also get a discard trigger when you do so

TCG Median Value: $0.75

9. Go Blank

What’s good about this card?

• For the cheap cost of three mana, you can get a lot of card advantage with Go Blank
• Not only does it let your opponent discard two cards, it also destroys their hope of recurring those cards as you will get to exile their whole graveyard

TCG Median Value: $0.25

8. Liliana, Waker of the Dead

What’s good about this card?

• This planeswalker aims to fill up both graveyards through the discard mechanic as its [-7] effect will become more powerful with more cards on the graveyard
• Although you will also discard a card from your hand, it will serve as an investment once you get to Liliana’s [-7] ability
• Combined with other discard pieces, you can quickly fill up the opponent’s graveyard with their heavy-hitting creatures that you can reanimate with the [-7] ability

TCG Median Value: $5.00

7. The Eldest Reborn

What’s good about this card?

• The Eldest Reborn is a great card that incentivises your discard spells and also serves as a great way to deal with other creatures/planeswalkers on your opponent’s side of the field
• You can scour any graveyard for a potentially game-ending creature to bring to your battlefield on the last chapter of this Saga
• This means that as long as you damage your opponent’s hand by letting them discard threats, you will surely get a strong creature on the board when this Saga ends

TCG Median Value: $0.46

6. Elspeth’s Nightmare

What’s good about this card?

• A great Saga card, Elspeth’s Nightmare, is quickly becoming a staple in decks that run with black, especially discard decks
• It deals with aggressive creatures and loaded graveyards which are both problems that discard decks commonly encounter

TCG Median Value: $0.25

5. Torment of Scarabs

What’s good about this card?

• Aura Curses like Torment of Scarabs can cause a world of nightmare to your opponent as it can completely throw them off their senses
• Having even just a single copy of this Enchantment will most certainly destroy the opponent’s gameplan as you are guaranteed to either gain card advantage or life advantage with the effects of this card

TCG Median Value: $0.70

4. The Haunt of Hightower

What’s good about this card?

• The Haunt of Hightower is the go-to creature to place in your discard decks
• This 6-mana Vampire is a solid creature that can quickly grow out of control when you cast multiple discard spells
• It can swing for a lot as it gets +1/+1 counters every time the opponent discards a card

TCG Median Value: Buy-a-Box Promo

3. Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger

What’s good about this card?

• At only 2 mana, you already have a discard spell that you can cast early, giving you the advantage immediately
• Every time you attack with Kroxa, you will get another trigger that will force your opponent to choose whether they will discard a nonland card or get hit with 3 damage on top of the 6 damage that Kroxa can deal
• Aside from that, you can always cast Kroxa for its Escape cost to repeat the ETB discard trigger

TCG Median Value: $23.99

2. Waste Not

What’s good about this card?

• The ultimate discard deck available in the Arena, Waste Not gives you an absolute lot of advantage when it comes to discard
• Whatever your opponent discards, you will surely get value as it can summon a 2/2 Zombie token, add two black mana to your pool, and even let you draw a card
• This is the ultimate value-generating card if you want to play a discard deck

TCG Median Value: $18.88

1. Thoughtseize

What’s good about this card?

• The OG discard spell, Thoughtseize is the best turn one play on any discard deck
• It establishes an early lead in terms of card advantage and it gives you a good picture of the opponent’s strategy, allowing you to adjust your strategy accordingly
• Thoughtseize is a great card that can affect the game at any stage whether at the start or at the end game when cards in hand are really important

TCG Median Value: $19.00

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