Mana Drain

Mana Drain first appeared in Legends in June 1994. LEG #65 is an uncommon illustrated by Mark Tedin and is nonfoil only. Its catalogue number is not a modern collector-number line printed on the original card.

Collector references: J16 #2 is Bierek's foil Judge promo; CMR #637 is Swanland's extended-art version; 2X2 #348 is Lukacs' borderless art. Etched #432 and textured OTP #67 are separate finish records, not general labels for every premium Mana Drain.

Mana Drain costs {U}{U} and targets a spell. When it resolves, it attempts to counter that spell and creates a delayed trigger that adds colourless mana equal to the spell's mana value at the beginning of your next main phase. The amount is based on mana value, rather than simply the mana the opponent happened to spend.

That next main phase can be later in the same turn. If you cast Drain during your precombat main phase or combat phase, the delayed trigger occurs at the beginning of your postcombat main phase. If you use it during an opponent's turn, it will normally supply mana in your next precombat main phase.

If the target becomes illegal before Drain resolves, Drain does not resolve and supplies no delayed mana. If the target is legal but cannot be countered, the delayed mana trigger is still set up. These distinctions appear in Wizards' Thunder Junction release notes. They explain why Drain is more than a visually different Counterspell.

The Legends printing establishes the original Mark Tedin illustration and early frame. It is an uncommon from 1994, even though later Masters and bonus-sheet versions carry a mythic symbol. Choosing a newer rarity symbol does not change the underlying spell or make a copy part of the original release.

Judge Gift Cards 2016 #2 supplies Mike Bierek's artwork in foil. Iconic Masters #65 followed in November 2017 with Raymond Swanland's illustration in nonfoil and traditional foil. These give a historical promo collector and a player seeking a later set copy different starting points.

Commander Legends in November 2020 prints Swanland's artwork on standard #80 and extended-art #637. Double Masters 2022 retains that artist on standard #57 and foil-etched #432, while borderless #348 changes the illustration to Chuck Lukacs. Set code and collector number are needed to separate those decisions.

The April 2024 Breaking News bonus sheet adds Florey's illustration at OTP #11, with a textured foil counterpart at #67. Its set code is OTP, not the main Outlaws of Thunder Junction set's OTJ. The bonus-sheet printing itself does not make the card legal in every format supported by the main set.

Tedin's Legends illustration belongs to Mana Drain's original visual identity. Bierek's Judge card is a separate interpretation with a promotional release behind it. If your collection is about a particular era or artist, those reasons may matter more than selecting the newest frame.

Swanland connects Iconic Masters, Commander Legends and the standard or etched Double Masters 2022 entries. CMR #80 against #637 is a useful way to compare the surrounding frame while keeping the artwork. Changing instead to Lukacs' 2X2 #348 changes the image as well as introducing borderless presentation.

Florey's Breaking News entry takes the card into a Breaking News showcase design. Compare OTP #11 with #67 if that illustration is already your preference and the remaining question is the physical finish. Wizards explains the bonus-sheet presentation and textured treatment in Collecting Outlaws of Thunder Junction.

That separation of decisions is useful here: extended art is not automatically new art, and a new artist is not automatically a new finish. The linked printing records make the artist, set and number visible before you move to current prices.

There is no official foil edition of LEG #65. J16 #2 is foil only, while the selected IMA and standard CMR entries offer nonfoil or traditional foil. CMR #637 also has both choices, so extended art alone does not identify a reflective copy.

For Double Masters 2022, standard #57 and borderless #348 each come in nonfoil and traditional foil. Etched #432 is its own entry, uses Swanland's art and has only the etched finish. It should not be described as an etched version of Lukacs' borderless illustration.

OTP #11 offers nonfoil and traditional foil; OTP #67 is textured foil only. Wizards identifies textured Breaking News mythics as Collector Booster treatments. Confirm the number and finish together instead of treating textured and etched as interchangeable words.

ManaScout's shimmer is illustrative. It cannot reproduce the texture of the Breaking News finish, establish a Judge card's authenticity or reveal the condition of a seller's copy. Use photographs when deciding whether a physical treatment merits the extra spending.

For the original: choose LEG #65 and check the edition, language and condition. Later mythic copies supply the same game function but a different historical object.

For a playing budget: compare nonfoil IMA #65, CMR #80, 2X2 #57 and OTP #11 using current prices and comparable condition. Do not assume the borderless or older copy must be more expensive in every listing; compare the actual available options.

For Swanland's artwork: start with the standard entries, then compare extended CMR #637 and etched 2X2 #432. If you want another illustration, add Lukacs' #348 before deciding whether to choose a foil.

For a promo or finish-focused collection: Bierek's J16 #2 and Florey's textured OTP #67 offer different reasons to spend beyond a basic deck copy. The former is an artist-and-promo choice; the latter keeps the Breaking News identity and changes its surface.

Compare CMR #80 and #637 to isolate the frame, then put them beside 2X2 #348 and OTP #11 to compare artists. Only after choosing the illustration is it useful to weigh traditional foil, etched or textured against the corresponding nonfoil options.

The live explorer may highlight a ManaScout Pick. Treat it as a visual starting point and compare the exact printing, finish and available price data before deciding.

Counterspell — Compare the two-blue-mana answer without Mana Drain's delayed mana trigger.

Force of Will — Explore an alternative-cost counterspell with its own original uncommon, Judge foil and premium frames.

Deflecting Swat — Compare countering a spell with choosing new targets for a spell or ability.

Mana Vault — Explore another source of burst colourless mana and its historical and premium printing choices.

Source links updated 5 November 2026; replacement support uses non-marketplace catalogue or official product references.

Printing details reviewed on 2 November 2026. The shortlist links to individual MTG.wtf catalogue records; official Wizards sources support the rules and product treatments. The live explorer retrieves its records and price fields from Scryfall.

MTG.wtf: Legends original and linked catalogue.

MTG.wtf: Judge promo artist and finish.

Wizards: Iconic Masters card image gallery.

Wizards: delayed mana and countering rulings.

Wizards: Breaking News frames and textured foils.