If my opponent has a full hand of 7 cards and I cast wistful thinking, what happens?
Do they discard the two cards they draw and then discard four more for a total of six cards discarded?
5
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This is a fairly common misconception. There is no limit to how many cards you can have in your hand at a time. You just discard down to your maximum size (usually, but not always seven) at the end of turn. – aaron Jan 1 '16 at 2:22
11
No, if you cast that spell on your opponent, he draws 2 for a total of 9 hand cards, then discards 4 cards, down to 5.
402.2. Each player has a maximum hand size, which is normally seven cards. A player may have any number of cards in his or her hand, but as part of his or her cleanup step, the player must discard excess cards down to the maximum hand size.
The cleanup step is the last step in each player's turn.
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2If this weren't the case, being the second player would really suck, since you wouldn't be able to draw up to 8 cards on your first turn! – corsiKa Dec 31 '15 at 18:50
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3To be explicitly clear - the cleanup step that matters for you is the last step in YOUR turn. That's the only time that hand size is checked. Otherwise end-step instant draw spells that push you past 7 cards would kinda hurt. – Ethan The Brave Dec 31 '15 at 20:47
