Magic’s newest crossover product, Warhammer 40k, is bringing us a new batch of Commander Precons. And with them, we’re also getting several new and returning mechanics, including none other than the ultra-popular Miracle!
In preparation for the new Miracle cards, I’ll go over everything you need to know about this spicy mechanic!
Miracle is an alternative casting-cost. If a card has Miracle, you may cast it for its Miracle cost when you draw it, if it’s the first card you’ve drawn that turn.
If that sounds a bit strange and complicated, you’re not the only one. Don’t worry; just read on. In this article, I’ll explain everything you need to know about one of Magic’s most ambitious mechanics.
What Is It?
Miracle is a keyword mechanic found on instant and sorcery cards as well as permanents. These cards all have a cheaper alternative casting cost you can use to cast the spell instead of its regular cost. You can, however, only use this cheaper alternative as soon as you draw the card, and only if it’s the first card you’ve drawn that turn.
How Does It Work?
Whenever you draw your first card per turn, if that card has Miracle, you can cast it for its Miracle cost. You do, however, have to cast it as soon as you draw it, before you mix it into your hand.
For example, if it’s your turn, and you draw a Miracle card on your draw step and you want to cast it for its cheaper alternative cost, you have to do so right then and there. You can’t wait until your main phase or your opponents turn. You can only cast spells for their Miracle cost as you draw them.
If you can’t or don’t want to cast a card for its alternative cost, the card simply functions the exact same as a regular card. You can still cast it for its regular casting cost, following all timing restrictions.
FAQs
Does Miracle Ignore Timing Restrictions?
Yes, if you cast a card for its Miracle cost, the ability overrides any timing restrictions. For example, you can cast a sorcery on your opponent’s turn if you cast it for its Miracle cost.
Can I Cast a Card for Its Miracle Cost on My First Turn?
If you draw a Miracle card in your opening hand, you cannot cast it for its Miracle cost, even if it was the first card you drew. This is because players draw their opening hands before the first turn actually begins.
On the other hand, if you draw it on your first turn via a draw-spell like Opt, you can play it for its Miracle cost. You probably won’t have the necessary mana to do so, but still, it is possible.
Design Flaws
Miracle is one of the craziest mechanics in all of Magic, and it’s not without its issues. After all, it’s normal for players to draw a card and add it into their hand very quickly. Sometimes, players even impulsively shuffle the card into their hand before they’ve even considered the possibility of playing it.
As such, the Miracle mechanic requires players to slow their pace down significantly. Otherwise, they’re incredibly likely to accidentally put cards into their hand before they get a chance to cast them.
To fix this, Wizard’s was considering giving Miracle cards their own special card-backs. But, obviously, this presents its own set of problems, particularly with shuffling and sleeving.
As it stands, there really is no way to fix these problems. That’s why the mechanic will probably only ever be printed into Eternal formats like Commander.
Rules
- You still draw Miracle cards even if you choose to play them for their Miracle costs. Card effects that trigger when players draw a card will still trigger. If you choose not to cast the spell for its alternative cost, it goes into your hand.
- You don’t have to reveal a card with Miracle if you don’t want to play it for its alternative cost.
- You can reveal a card with Miracle on any players turn, not just your own, as long as it’s the first card you’ve drawn that turn.
Here’s a link to a helpful Magic Judge website, in case you still have any unanswered questions, or if you’d just like to read more about the rules. This Reddit page also has a lot of useful information.
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Warhammer 40k Miracle Card Gallery
Here are all of the new Miracle cards from the Warhammer 40k Commander decks!
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Best Cards
5. Devastation Tide
Devastation Tide has an undoubtedly powerful effect. It wipes the entire
Once, during a casual game of Commander, my opponent cast it for it’s Miracle cost and returned everybody’s stuff to our hand. Then, on the same turn, he had enough mana left over to cast Omniscience! He then proceeded to put all of his cards back onto the battlefield at once for free, while the rest of us proceeded to discard most of our cards to hand-size.
4.Entreat the Angels
Entreat the Angels is mediocre at face-value. Getting one 4/4 Angel for five mana, or two for seven isn’t a terrible rate, but neither is it great. If you can manage to cast this card for it’s Miracle cost, however, that’s when things get nasty.
At that point you’ll be getting one 4/4 Angel for three mana, two for four, three for five, four for six, and so on and so forth. I’ve seen players get 10 Angels at once with this card. Any card that can put 40 power on the
3. Entreat the Dead
Entreat the Dead is a slightly better version of the previous card on our list. It functions almost exactly the same way, except instead of getting Angels, you get creatures from your graveyard.
This makes it a little risky since you might not have lots of great creatures in your yard at any given time. However, since these spells are usually cast later in games, it’s a pretty safe bet. And since you’ll be getting your own creatures back, Entreat the Dead has way more potential. Combine this with self-mill cards like Hermit Druid or Entomb and you have a recipe for epic shenanigans.
Temporal Mastery
Temporal Mastery is insane. Getting an extra turn for a measly two mana is one of the most broken things you can ever do during a game of Magic, After all, Time Walk is so good that it had to be banned in Commander and Legacy, and restricted in Vintage.
Temporal Mastery has the potential to put you way head early on. And that’s why it gets the nod here as the second best Miracle card in the game today.
1. Terminus
Terminus might not be as flashy as Temporal Mastery, but it’s extremely effective. If it’s the first card you draw in a turn, you can get rid of all creature cards for just one white mana. This is huge for control strategies.
Terminus is used in Modern in conjunction with cards that can manipulate the top card of your library. Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Otherworldy Gaze are great examples of this. The same strategy is even more powerful in Legacy where Ponder and Brainstorm are legal.
Then you have the Commander format where Terminus is a staple in white decks. Once you pair it with a commander like Aminatou, the Fateshifter, Terminus can really do some damage.
Overall, I chose to give Terminus the number one spot on this list because of its effectiveness across several different formats. Simply put, this is just a great Magic card.
End Step
Miracle is one of the most ambitious mechanics the game has ever seen. Whether you love it or hate it, you have to admit that it’s extremely exciting and flavorful.
I hope you’ve found this article useful and/or enjoyable. Until next time, I wish you the best of luck with all of your MTG endeavors.
