Pithing Needle (Return to Ravnica #231)

Pithing Needle {1}

Artifact

As Pithing Needle enters, choose a card name.

Activated abilities of sources with the chosen name can’t be activated unless they’re mana abilities.

The fearful want the procedure before a blood festival. The guilty seek it afterward.

Illustrated by Anthony Palumbo

Standard
Alchemy
Pioneer
Explorer
Modern
Historic
Legacy
Brawl
Banned
Vintage
Timeless
Commander
Pauper
Oathbreaker
Penny
Notes and Rules Information for Pithing Needle:
  • Pithing Needle affects cards regardless of what zone they're in. This includes cards in hand, cards in the graveyard, and exiled cards. For example, a player can't cycle Eternal Dragon or return an Eternal Dragon from their graveyard to hand if Pithing Needle naming Eternal Dragon is on the battlefield. (2005-06-01)
  • You can name any card, even if that card doesn't normally have an activated ability. You can't name a token unless that token has the same name as a card. (2005-06-01)
  • If you name a card that has both a mana ability and another activated ability, the mana ability can be activated but the other ability can't be activated. (2005-06-01)
  • Once Pithing Needle has left the battlefield, activated abilities of sources with the chosen name can be activated again. (2009-10-01)
  • Activated abilities include a colon and are written in the form "[cost]: [effect]." Triggered abilities and static abilities of the named card work normally. (2012-10-01)