Inspiration

Instant

Target player draws two cards.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Historic Brawl	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Pauper Duel Commander	Legal
Pauper EDH	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (30)

DemonDragonJ on Which is More Important: Total …

6 months ago

I often wonder which is more important for a card: its overall cost or its cost-to-effect ratio (i.e., its mana efficiency); for example, there is no question that Lightning Bolt is superior to both Shock and Searing Spear, but, between the other two cards, I would choose Shock over Searing Spear in the majority of situations, because Shock has a ratio of 2 damage for 1 mana, whereas Searing Spear has a ratio of 1.5 damage for 1 mana.

For a slightly more complicated example, compare Eladamri's Call to Shared Summons; the former card can find a creature for a mere 2 mana, which is very efficient, but it simply replaces one card in its controller's hand with another, whereas the latter card can search for two creatures, which leaves its caster with an additional card in hand, compared to before it is cast, but it is less efficient, costing 2.5 mana per creature found, so it is not as clear which card is superior, there.

Opportunity is literally a double version of Quick Study, as they both have the same ratio of cost to effect, but which is the superior card? Is it really better to spend six mana to draw four cards, as doing that would leave the caster with less mana to cast the spells that they draw? Also, Quick Study is strictly better than is Inspiration, as it costs 1 less mana to cast, but, between Concentrate and Tidings, I am not certain which is superior, since they both allow a player to draw one less card than their mana values.

On the subject of card drawing, in the realm of repeatable card drawing, Arcane Encyclopedia is strictly better than is Jayemdae Tome, as it costs only 3 mana to draw a single card, compared to 4, but Tower of Fortunes can draw four cards for 8 mana, which is a ratio of 2 mana per card, but that ability costs 8 mana, overall, so the question is if it is worth 8 mana to draw four cards.

Continuing that theme, there are numerous creatures (and one enchantment) that allow a player to repeatedly draw cards, such as Azure Mage, Spectral Sailor, Faerie Mastermind, Triskaidekaphile, or Treasure Trove, a ratio of 4 mana for one card, but Mystic Archaeologist can draw 2 two cards for 5 mana, a ratio of 2.5 mana per card, which is definitely far superior, in my mind.

Hedron Archive is literally two Mind Stones put together, and Dreamstone Hedron is literally a triple Mind Stone, so they all have the same cost-to-effect ratio, but I prefer the original Mind Stone, since the existence of Thran Dynamo and Gilded Lotus makes it difficult to justify using the other mana rocks, at least, for me.

To use the example of Skyward Eye Prophets, a 1/1 creature for 2 mana is perfectly acceptable, a 2/2 creature for 4 mana is slightly expensive, but nothing outrageous, but a 3/3 creature for 6 mana is simply too much, although, as a side note, I have a copy of that creature, in one of my decks, because I really like its ability.

For a further example, I would choose Mantis Rider over Lightning Angel in the majority of situations, since it provides a better rate than does the angel, and, similarly, I would choose Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers over Vernadi Shieldmate, since the former creature is more efficient for its cost.

I believe that I have provided a sufficient number of examples, for this discussion, so which trait do you believe is more important: overall mana cost or cost-to-effect ratio/mana efficiency? I certainly am interested to hear your thoughts on this matter.

Coward_Token on Strixhaven Commands??

4 years ago

You could use Lorehold Command's first and last ability together for an MV (( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)) 5 Inspiration , that's actual card advantage (if still not very good)

legendofa on Favor Deck

4 years ago

I recommend adding for Rites of Flourishing and Heartbeat of Spring to help keep the game tempo up. Do you want to help everyone equally at all times, or would you include "catch-up" cards like Heroes' Reunion or Inspiration ?

austintayshus on Card creation challenge

5 years ago

Mercedia, Balancer of Scales

Legendary Creature - Spirit Monk

Flying, Vigilance

Whenever an opponent draws a card other than the first card they draw each turn, that player may pay . If they don't, you may draw a card.

3/3

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I think the taxing effect on Rhystic Study feels more white than blue to me, so that was my Inspiration for this card.

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I'd like a card that represents your favorite cryptid or urban legend (Sasquatch, the loch ness monster, mothman, etc.).

SideBae on Yuriko’s Ninja Tricks

5 years ago

So this deck is marked under 'help,' so I'll list my recommendations. Feel free to ignore any/all of them:

1. Some of your choices of countermagic seem questionable. Is there a reason you're running Withering Boon over something like Remove Soul or Essence Scatter? I guess the blue spells can be Pyroblast-ed, but I feel like not having to bolt yourself is worth it for the marginal added risk.

2. You may wish to consider running Preordain in addition to your Brainstorm and Ponder. Like in Legacy Delver decks, it isn't as good since you'd need to top both cards with the scry to guarantee a high CMC flip off Yuriko, but I feel like one-mana cantrips are likely good enough to run regardless.

3. There are some evasive creatures worth running in Yuriko because their ETB effects are good and ninjutsu bounces the creatures. I'm thinking of things like Baleful Strix, Snapcaster Mage (if you want to invest money), Trinket Mage (which can fetch Sensei's Divining Top, Sol Ring and any other 1-cmc artifacts you want to run), Spellseeker... If you want to go deep, Thalakos Seer works well with Ninjutsu, too...

4. You might also consider running Conspiracy or Arcane Adaptation. I like Arcane Adaptation a lot more (it costs less mana) but both are good, and if you need a third version Xenograft works. They'll make things like Gingerbrute trigger your Yuriko.

5. Some 4-cmc instant-speed card-draw seems alright; you leave up mana for a counter, and if you don't need it you get a draw. Consider things like Fact or Fiction, Chemister's Insight, Glimmer of Genius, Frantic Search, Gush, Thirst for Knowledge, Inspiration... They'll ding your opponents off a Yuriko flip and give you something to do with mana you don't need on their end steps.

6. Idk how competitive your meta is, but consider running Narset, Parter of Veils and/or Ashiok, Dream Render. These two hose card-draw and fetches/tutors, which are all very common as you go higher in deck power level. I especially like Narset, Parter of Veils with Windfall or Timetwister, but that'll depend on your particular moral compass.

7. Lastly, if you up the amount of artifact ramp in here you can lower the land count and make flipping a land off Yuriko less common. While it may be dangerous to go lower than 30 lands if you're not running things like Mana Crypt, Mox Diamond or Mox Opal (which you should run if your groups allows proxies), you may have luck running things like Talisman of Dominance, Arcane Signet or Fellwar Stone. If you don't land a turn-two general, these'll ramp you for the later game; and even if you do, flipping them off Yuriko's trigger is better than flipping a land.

Right. That's all I got -- let me know if you have any questions.

FenrisBurgess on Narset, Exalted Master

5 years ago

Wow, a wall of text with potentially useful advice.

• "is not really needed since most cards are instants and can be cast immediately after attacking with Narset."

• A simple Manalith would aid in getting out Narset. As it stands, you will only be able to get Narset on turn 6, assuming you don't miss a land drop.

• You have no haste granting cards, so your strategy will only take off on turn 7 if you are lucky and nobody plays an Edict effect..
• Most people can gain a significant advantage by turn 7 if all goes well. No amount of counters can stop 3 opponent's from building their boards. You'll be a sitting duck most of the time.

• There is a reason almost all commander decks run a Sol Ring . The faster you can play your strategy, the more likely you are to win.

• "unless they are instant cards i don't really need them."

• Chemister's Insight is strictly better than Inspiration . There is no reason you cannot use both, but Chemister's Insight has far more utility.
• Counterspell , Archmage's Charm , Sinister Sabotage , Thought Collapse , and Dissolve are all strictly better than Cancel , and those are the cheap $$$ counters.
• Lightning Bolt and Skewer the Critics are strictly better than Lightning Strike and Wizard's Lightning especially considering you don't have any wizards.
• Your deck runs Lifelink . The card itself is cheap, but by the time your Commander is out, cost shouldn't be a consideration. Cards like Daybreak Coronet and Steel of the Godhead provide you with far more utility.

• Cards like Dub and Angelic Gift provide a useful effect, but there are better cards that do more: Gryff's Boon and Asha's Favor to name a few minor improvements.

• Questionably, you are running Artificer's Epiphany with only one artifact in the deck.

• You are running 11 counters as control. Those 11 counters won't do you any good with Narset unless you plan to counter your own spells. Running cards like Disperse keeps stuff off the field and will be still be useful if you happen to exile it later on.

• Your burn spells won't do much against larger creatures either.

• "this is not a budget deck. budget, mana or money, is not a priority. if it somehow is then it is merely a coincidence."

• I'm not sure what you're trying to say here, but I feel the need to advise you that:
• Your mana base does, in fact, matter.
• You have far better options for cards.
• The only reason to play this deck as it is, is if you were on a budget. If you are not, then you can certainly replace the cards with better versions.

Rhadamanthus on Do you have to Mill …

6 years ago

I don't know why, but I had a sudden thought about this interaction again and I realized there was a defect in my earlier thinking.

Tamiyo, Collector of Tales would only stop you from discarding (forcing you to mill instead of draw) if the effect trying to make you draw extra cards is controlled by an opponent. Chains of Mephistopheles doesn't do anything directly, but rather changes the result of other effects. For example: if you target yourself with Inspiration in this situation then you discard-draw, discard-draw. Tamiyo doesn't interfere because it's your own spell that's causing you to discard cards. If someone else cast Inspiration targeting you then Tamiyo would stop you from discarding and you'd be forced to mill 2 cards.

KaladeshKat on Demonic Patience

6 years ago

@Zirion yeah I think its fine, what other removal is there? There is one you can pay life for, but I can't remember the name, and I think its fine here. Vraska's Contempt is good in standard but I have no idea what the modern meta looks like.

@bootsworthy actually you are completley wrong... it is doing 3-x damage do the fewer the better. Just think if it was what you were saying... Basically the entire format would be decks that abused the rack by running 4x of it and then just using Inspiration and Prosperity.