Price$15.96 – $27.82
Buy on TCGplayerTrouble in Pairs
Enchantment
Legal Salt 1.37Card DrawRank #631
If an opponent would begin an extra turn, that player skips that turn instead.
Whenever an opponent attacks you with two or more creatures, draws their second card each turn, or casts their second spell each turn, you draw a card.
Why is this card good?
Trouble in Pairs is white's answer to two things at once: combo/extra-turn shenanigans and card-advantage parity. That dual function is what makes it punch above its weight.
The extra-turn clause is a hard shutdown — it doesn't counter or delay, it deletes extra turns from Time Warp, Nexus of Fate, Aggravated Assault loops, etc. Against a pod with a known turns deck, that line alone justifies the slot.
The card-draw half is the real engine. In a four-player game, opponents constantly cast a second spell, draw extra (Phyrexian Arena, wheels, Brainstorm), or swing wide. You'll routinely draw 2-4 cards per turn cycle, helping white's chronic card-disadvantage problem without you having to do anything.
Wants it: any white midrange, control, or stax deck that struggles for gas — Queen Marchesa, Brimaz, group-hate builds.
Skip it: in a slow, low-interaction casual table where nobody chains spells or takes extra turns, it does very little. It rewards busy pods.
Related cards
Smothering Tithe
White enchantment that punishes opponents' draws/turns, often paired for value.
Esper Sentinel
Punishes opponents' noncreature spells, similar tax/draw payoff in white.
Sphere of Safety
White enchantment discouraging multi-creature attacks against you.
Aven Mindcensor
Restricts extra searches; complements stax-style turn denial.
Archivist of Oghma
White creature drawing cards when opponents search, similar punishment payoff.
Welcoming Vampire
White repeatable card draw engine for go-wide payoff value.
Mangara, the Diplomat
Draws cards when opponents attack or cast multiple spells, very similar effect.
Ghostly Prison
Deterrent against multi-creature attacks, pairs with attack-punishing themes.
Printings (3)
Played by these commanders
Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser100% of 1
Rulings (6)
- 2024-02-02
An "extra turn" is any turn created by a spell or ability. Notably, it doesn't include additional turns taken in tournaments after time expires for a round.
- 2024-02-02
Trouble in Pairs counts spells that were cast even if they didn't resolve. This means it still counts spells that were countered.
- 2024-02-02
Extra turns can still be created while Trouble in Pairs is on the battlefield. They're not skipped until they would begin, so if Trouble in Pairs leaves the battlefield before that happens, the extra turns will be unaffected.
- 2024-02-02
Trouble in Pairs doesn't have to be on the battlefield to see the first card an opponent draws in a turn or the first spell they cast in a turn. As long as it's already on the battlefield when they draw their second card or cast their second spell in a turn, its last ability will trigger.
- 2024-02-02
Trouble in Pairs's last ability can trigger multiple times per opponent per turn. For example, if an opponent draws a second card, casts a second spell, and attacks you with two or more creatures in a single turn, Trouble in Pairs's last ability will trigger once when each of those events occurs, for a total of three times.
- 2024-02-02
If an opponent attacks you with two or more creatures more than once in a turn (probably because they've generated extra combat phases), Trouble in Pairs's last ability will trigger each time that happens.