Pointed Discussion

2/2 Flyer that forces a discard for 3? Back in Revised?! Yes please :D

This guy was one of the earliest targets for Lightning Bolt.

This guy almost ruled the world.

*** YEAH HYPPIE! Noobs don't know the power of this card.

"swamp... dark ritual.... hypnotic specter."

"god dammit."

5/5

Anybody only has to be on the receiving end once to know the power of this card.

This is my favorite art of good old hippie. A sacred cow of this game. He is a very powerful early play. Combine with a second turn sinkhole, and it can be a lock down. 5/5

In the days of Revised, black had a lot of viable options for 3 mana, and they could all be readily fueled by a first turn Dark Ritual. But none of those options were as horrifying to opponents as the first turn Hypnotic Specter. You get so much for so little mana. A 2/2 flyer with an ability that causes opponents to discard at random. Yeowch. When I first started playing Magic, I didn't own a Hypnotic Specter for a while. Black was my favorite color because I did have some pretty good black cards - Royal Assassin, Sengir Vampire, Demonic Hordes, and a Will o' the Wisp were among my first rares (I know the vampire was only an uncommon, but to me it was on par with the rest). But I knew of the Specter. My brother had a Specter, and it never ceased to make me discard my best cards. My Hordes spent way more time in my graveyard than they did destroying his lands.

Back in the day when mono black ruled !
Hymn to Tourach, Dark Rit, Black Knight and this guy.
Woops forgot Dark Banishing.

-1 for compleat evil.

Hypnotic was first, then Nicol Bolas. Smashing face while inflicting anguish. And no others until Homelands' Reef Pirates.