Connive in MTG: Rules, History, and Best Cards

Last updated on June 10, 2026

Ledger Shredder | Illustration by Mila Pesic

MTG usually needs mechanics that smooth the game, either providing more opportunities for you to play lands when you need to or to find that spell you need, the mana you need, etc. Mechanics like cycling and kicker usually provide this along with “looting” and “rummaging.”

Connive also serves this purpose in Streets of New Capenna and Marvel Super Heroes. Today I peel back the layers on how the mechanic works, rank the best connive cards, and check out a sample Commander deck built around the mechanic. Let’s work on some devious plans!

How Does Connive Work?

Toluz, Clever Conductor | Illustration by Donato Giancola

Connive is a creature ability that says “When a creature connives, the creature’s controller draws a card and then discards a card.” If a nonland card was discarded this way, put a +1/+1 counter on the creature that connived.

Although most connive cards have “connive 1,” some designs let you connive X. For example, Raffine, Scheming Seer’s controller draws X cards and discards X cards, putting a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control for each nonland card discarded this way. All these actions are mandatory; you have to draw a card and then discard.

The History of Connive in MTG

Connive is the mechanic for the Obscura () faction in New Capenna, and connected to the villain subtype. The concept of drawing and discard, which a lot of players refer to as “looting” after Merfolk Looter’s activated ability, isn’t new and most sets make use of this, especially in blue.

Connive is a little bit different because there’s an upside in discarding nonland cards, thanks to the +1/+1 counter. Although the mechanic isn’t evergreen, looting is something that blue already does a lot, and it’s possible that we see “connive” worded as it is in other sets moving forward. In fact, connive made a return on one Transformers card, three Modern Horizons 3 cards, seven cards in Spider-Man, and 17 cards among Marvel Super Heroes and its Commander cards.

How Does Connive Work with Lands?

If you connive and discard a land, your conniving creature does not gain a +1/+1 counter. That land goes to the graveyard, and the card you drew stays in your hand.

What if You Kill a Creature in Response to Connive?

When a creature connives the trigger goes on the stack and it can be responded to. The draw and discard effects still take place if the creature is killed in response.

If a nonland card is discarded, the +1/+1 counter isn’t put anywhere because it can only go on the creature that connived. So if your creature connives and is killed in response, your decision of which card to discard becomes easier because discarding a land usually has the most upside overall.

Does Connive Target?

Connive does not target. It may be tied to an ability that does target, however the action itself is tied to the creature.

What if the Creature Isn’t Around to See a “When This Connives…” Ability?

Since the connive trigger goes on the stack, there’s no problem if a creature doesn’t see the “when this connives…” ability. For example, Psychic Pickpocket connives when it enters the battlefield. The ‘’when it connives” still resolves even if the creature isn’t around anymore. So the creature doesn’t need to be around. The only thing is that the +1/+1 counter can’t go anywhere else.

Is Connive Good?

Looting (drawing and discarding) is usually a solid mechanic. Although it isn’t card advantage per se, it is card selection because you see more options (usually referred to as card filtering). And it can become real card advantage if you discard cards with graveyard mechanics like flashback or unearth, or big creatures in a reanimator deck.

The way connive is worded makes it a better loot ability. Conniving once is OK, but it shines in decks that care about cards in the graveyard like the mechanics: threshold and delirium. Cards that let you connive a lot, like Ledger Shredder and Raffine, Scheming Seer are especially strong.

Gallery and List of Connive Cards

• A.I.M. Scientists
• Atlantean Skirmisher
• Baron Helmut Zemo
• Baron Strucker, HYDRA Overlord
• Body Launderer
• Change of Plans
• Copycrook
• Cyclonus, the Saboteur / Cyclonus, Cybertronian Fighter
• Doc Ock's Henchmen
• Doctor Doom, King of Latveria
• Echo Inspector
• Hypnotic Grifter
• Illuminator Virtuoso
• Kamiz, Obscura Oculus
• Kang, Temporal Tyrant
• Leader, Super-Genius
• Ledger Shredder
• Lethal Scheme
• Madame Masque
• Mask of the Schemer
• Mechanical Mobster
• Mob Lookout
• M.O.D.O.K.
• Namor, Scourge of the Seas
• Norman Osborn / Green Goblin
• Obscura Confluence
• Obscura Interceptor
• Pharaoh Rama-Tut
• Prowler, Clawed Thief
• Psionic Snoop
• Psychic Pickpocket
• Raffine, Scheming Seer
• Raffine's Informant
• Raffine's Silencer
• Red Room Recruit
• Revel Ruiner
• Scorpion, Seething Striker
• Scurrilous Sentry
• Security Bypass
• Spymaster's Vault
• Swordsman, Sharp Scoundrel
• Tiger Shark, Abyssal Hunter
• Toluz, Clever Conductor
• Trickster's Stratagem
• Unstable Experiment
• Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
• Villainous Hideout

Best Connive Cards

#10. Baron Helmut Zemo

Baron Helmut Zemo belongs in a deck devoted to black. Scale up your connives based on how many cards you have in hand, and boast into free spells later on? This is the kind of nonsense black players can get on board with.

#9. Lethal Scheme

Four mana to destroy a creature is okay, but not great. But add that your creatures can help cast Lethal Scheme by convoking and you get a free kill spell, up to four loot triggers, +1/+1 counters, and anything in between at best. It's an excellent way to shake a combat in defense.

#8. Change of Plans

Change of Plans is excellent when used as a mega combat trick or in response to a board wipe. Your creatures will connive and some of them will be protected from removal, board wipes, or even an unfavorable combat. It can get even better in a Simic () deck with +1/+1 counters theme.

#7. Ledger Shredder

Besides being a good blocker as a 1/3 flier for 2 and even better with +1/+1 counters, Ledger Shredder works with your spells and your opponents' spells. Are you an aggro player playing multiple creatures a turn? Shredder gets bigger. Playing a spellslinger Izzet () deck? Ditto.

#6. Norman Osborn / Green Goblin

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Norman Osborn is a 2-drop that is capable of repeated connives every turn because it is unblockable. This alone is solid and the potential to work with Green Goblin is a business deal you'd be a fool to pass up.

#5. Toluz, Clever Conductor

Toluz, Clever Conductor has a nice cost flexibility being playable in builds from Dimir (), Azorius (), Esper, or even mono blue in Limited, and of course as an Esper commander in EDH.

Toluz points to a heavy discard strategy with mechanics like loot, connive, cycling, channel, and the like. Cards from the Amonkhet block that say “whenever you cycle or discard a card” should be at home with this commander.

#4. Kamiz, Obscura Oculus

Kamiz, Obscura Oculus is a combat-oriented commander in Jeskai () that combines two interesting things. Blue and black have lots of evasive creatures with the saboteur ability and white adds double strike, which effectively doubles the saboteur abilities.

And giving double strike to an infect creature can get kills out of nowhere. It doesn't need haste to affect the battlefield immediately since Kamiz’ ability doesn't require that it attack.

#3. Obscura Confluence

Confluences are usually very strong, combining flexibility and card advantage with a lot of modes. Obscura Confluence can make a creature connive, create a Raise Dead effect, or offer a removal effect.

The connive effect happens before Raise so it's possible to connive, discard a creature card, and then retrieve it. A solid card advantage and filtering effect in a grindy deck.

#2. Raffine, Scheming Seer

Raffine, Scheming Seer is cheap and a 1/4 flier with ward 1 defends itself well. A good way to build it is as an Orzhov () tokens strategy since its ability cares about the number of creatures attacking. From there you can use the blue mana to filter through your deck because you're going to draw and discard lots of cards.

There’s also some flexibility if you want to build a deck with “whenever you draw or discard a card” triggers or reanimation because Esper colors offer a lot of tools in this department. Why not go all offensive with a flying-matters strategy and +1/+1 counters since most of these tokens can be fliers?

#1. M.O.D.O.K.

M.O.D.O.K. is a good shrink effect on your opponents and let's you pay life to draw cards. Sure it's only on your turn, but it's not restricted to once per turn.

Decklist: Connive in Commander

Raffine, Scheming Seer | Illustration by Johannes Voss

Raffine, Scheming Seer is a great Esper commander. This connive deck features reanimation and discard matters themes. The Esper colors can be used to slot the best connive cards, and there’s also an Esper mana base and some other cards from the Esper shard that work with the theme of the deck. And why not play some powerful sphinxes since Raffine is also a sphinx, or slot in some villains like M.O.D.O.K.?

This deck has a lot of discard going on from the looters and spells and connive creatures. Some big reanimation targets were included as well as some reanimate spells. Cards like Archfiend of Ifnir and Drake Haven capitalize on the discard, while Nadir Kraken capitalizes on the draw. Your commander can fill up the graveyard and spells like Living Death, Sun Titan, and Unburial Rites can reanimate them.

Wrap Up

Lethal Scheme | Illustration by Tuan Duong Chu

Connive is a fun mechanic, just like looting is. We’ll always see mechanics like this in Limited that allows us to get rid of excess lands or uncastable spells, and we’ll usually interact with the graveyard in some manner. I want more connive because it’s a skill-testing mechanic as well as a good Limited mechanic to prevent the non-games where you draw the wrong part of your deck.

Connive was created to bridge the gap between two different archetypes in Limited involving graveyard matters, counters, and synergies with other mechanics. There are definitely cards with the mechanic that will see play across various formats, so get used to conniving.

What are your impressions about the connive mechanic? Let me know in the comments or over in Draftsim’s Discord.

See you later, and don’t forget your loot!