Inspiring Statuary MTG Card


Inspiring Statuary grants tactical card advantage by converting artifacts into mana for nonartifact spells. Resource acceleration is achieved indirectly while maintaining instant-speed spell casting readiness. While versatile, it demands a balanced artifact and nonartifact deck building strategy.
Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeArtifact

Text of card

Nonartifact spells you cast have improvise. (Your artifacts can help cast those spells. Each artifact you tap after you're done activating mana abilities pays for .)

Ghirapur's most celebrated inventors have been immortalized in clockwork.


Cards like Inspiring Statuary

Inspiring Statuary is an intriguing artifact in the realm of Magic: The Gathering that renders nonartifact spells easier to cast by leveraging artifacts you control. Notable comparisons can be made with cards like Chief Engineer, which provides convoke to artifact spells allowing you to tap both creatures and artifacts to cast them. Inspiring Statuary, however, doesn’t rely on creatures and focuses solely on your artifacts lending a different strategic advantage.

Another card worth mentioning is Herald of Kozilek. Although it reduces the colorless mana component of artifacts, it does not impact colored mana requirements as Inspiring Statuary does. Also, affinity cards like Thoughtcast benefit from having a high artifact count, similarly reducing costs, but they do not offer the broad flexibility of casting nonartifact spells the way Inspiring Statuary does, by using your artifacts for improvisation.

When evaluating these cards side by side, Inspiring Statuary holds a unique position in Magic: The Gathering with its ability to ease the casting of a wide range of spells, giving it an edge in decks that are heavy in artifacts but still want to incorporate impactful nonartifact cards.

Chief Engineer - MTG Card versions
Herald of Kozilek - MTG Card versions
Thoughtcast - MTG Card versions
Chief Engineer - MTG Card versions
Herald of Kozilek - MTG Card versions
Thoughtcast - MTG Card versions

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Jalum Tome - MTG Card versions
Patchwork Gnomes - MTG Card versions
The Stasis Coffin - MTG Card versions
Captain's Hook - MTG Card versions
Spellweaver Helix - MTG Card versions
Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions
Lightning Coils - MTG Card versions
Loxodon Warhammer - MTG Card versions
Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions
Training Drone - MTG Card versions
Pristine Talisman - MTG Card versions
Alloy Myr - MTG Card versions
Guardians of Meletis - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Shackles - MTG Card versions
Herald's Horn - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Inspiring Statuary turns your nonartifact spells into improvised works of art, effectively enabling you to use your artifacts to help cast those spells. This opens up your mana and allows you to play out your hand more efficiently, thereby gaining card advantage by deploying more of your resources every turn.

Resource Acceleration: With the ability to tap your artifacts for mana towards your nonartifact spells thanks to Improvise, Inspiring Statuary provides a form of indirect resource acceleration. This can be a game-changer in artifact-heavy decks, essentially turning any piece of your board into a potential mana source.

Instant Speed: Though Inspiring Statuary itself does not have an instant speed feature, it facilitates the casting of your instant spells by freeing up mana. This means you can tap your artifacts to help cast those game-altering instants while keeping your lands untapped to respond reactively to your opponents’ actions.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Inspiring Statuary doesn’t require discarding cards, but its unique ability to turn nonartifact spells into potential mana sources could indirectly lead to prematurely using up valuable hand assets to cast high-cost artifacts too soon.

Specific Mana Cost: While Inspiring Statuary costs three generic mana, which is flexible, it necessitates a deck strategy focused around both artifacts and nonartifacts to fully utilize its abilities, potentially limiting deck-building options.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although three mana to cast may seem reasonable, to truly maximize the Inspiring Statuary’s benefits, a substantial board presence is required, which means a higher overall mana investment in both the card itself and other artifacts to ensure its effectiveness.


Reasons to Include Inspiring Statuary in Your Collection

Versatility: Inspiring Statuary offers the flexibility to turn your non-artifact spells into power plays by utilizing your artifacts to help cast them. This card can easily slot into a variety of decks that thrive on artifact synergy or need a mana boost.

Combo Potential: The unique ability of Inspiring Statuary to tap artifacts for mana leads to numerous combo opportunities. It can help unleash powerful spells ahead of schedule or enable multi-spell turns, which could be a game changer on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: With an ever-shifting MTG landscape, Inspiring Statuary maintains relevance by adapting to the presence of artifact-heavy decks. Its inclusion can give you an upper hand against competitors by accelerating your game plan regardless of the prevailing meta trends.


How to beat

Inspiring Statuary is a unique artifact card in MTG that can turn your non-artifact spells into improvisational masterpieces, allowing you to tap your artifacts to help cast those spells. This can lead to early deployment of high-cost cards, dramatically altering the game’s pace. To counter this, focus on artifact removal spells or abilities that can directly target Inspiring Statuary itself. Cards like Disenchant or Abrade can be quite effective in this regard.

Another strategy is to limit the number of artifacts your opponent has access to. Cards like Creeping Corrosion can clear the board of artifacts, making Inspiring Statuary less impactful. It’s also worthwhile to include cards in your deck that can counter non-creature spells. Consistent pressure and disruption are key. By thoughtfully managing your removal and counters, you can dismantle the synergy that Inspiring Statuary offers and maintain control of the game.

Remember that timing is crucial—consider holding onto your removal until your opponent is poised to capitalize on Inspiring Statuary’s ability. This can potentially waste their turn and give you an upper hand. Understand the synergies at play and plan your moves carefully to effectively beat Inspiring Statuary in your matches.


BurnMana Recommendations

Elevating your MTG game takes not only skillful play but also strategic deck construction. With Inspiring Statuary serving as a linchpin in artifact-centric strategies, it’s crucial to assess its place in your arsenal. The statuary reshapes the way you utilize your artifacts, pushing the boundaries of your traditional mana curve. It begs for inclusion in decks that maximize its improvise mechanic while also considering the importance of maintaining a balance between artifacts and nonartifacts. If you’re keen to explore the full potential of Inspiring Statuary and orchestrate a deck that takes your opponents by surprise, delve deeper with us. Learn the intricacies of artifact manipulation and dominate the battlefield with well-planned casts that leave your land resources untapped for critical moments. Step up your game and embrace the statuary’s strategic depth.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Inspiring Statuary MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt Promos and Aether Revolt, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Inspiring Statuary and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Inspiring Statuary Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by Kirsten Zirngibl.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-01-20Aether Revolt PromosPAER 160s2015NormalBlackKirsten Zirngibl
22017-01-20Aether RevoltAER 1602015NormalBlackKirsten Zirngibl
32022-11-18The Brothers' War Art SeriesABRO 622015Art seriesBorderlessKirsten Zirngibl
42022-11-18The Brothers' War Retro ArtifactsBRR 221997NormalBlackKirsten Zirngibl
52022-11-18The Brothers' War Retro ArtifactsBRR 85z1997NormalBlackKirsten Zirngibl
62022-11-18The Brothers' War Retro ArtifactsBRR 851997NormalBlackKirsten Zirngibl
72023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 3612015NormalBlackKirsten Zirngibl
82023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 6092015NormalBlackKirsten Zirngibl
92023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 3942015NormalBlackKirsten Zirngibl
102024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 2302015NormalBlackKirsten Zirngibl

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Inspiring Statuary has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Inspiring Statuary card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2017-02-09 Because improvise isn't an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs.
2017-02-09 Equipment attached to a creature doesn't become tapped when that creature becomes tapped, and tapping that Equipment doesn't cause the creature to become tapped.
2017-02-09 If an artifact you control has a mana ability with in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with improvise will result in the artifact being tapped when you pay the spell's costs. You won't be able to tap it again for improvise. Similarly, if you sacrifice an artifact to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with improvise, that artifact won't be on the battlefield when you pay the spell's costs, so you won't be able to tap it for improvise.
2017-02-09 If you cast a nonartifact spell that requires you to sacrifice a permanent as an additional cost, you may tap that permanent (if it's an artifact) for the spell's improvise ability before you sacrifice it to pay that cost.
2017-02-09 Improvise can't be used to pay for anything other than the cost of casting the spell. For example, it can't be used during the resolution of an ability that says "Counter target spell unless its controller pays ."
2017-02-09 Improvise can't pay for , , , , , or mana symbols in a spell's total cost.
2017-02-09 Improvise doesn't change a spell's mana cost or mana value.
2017-02-09 Multiple instances of improvise are redundant.
2017-02-09 Tapping an artifact won't cause its abilities to stop applying unless those abilities say so.
2017-02-09 When calculating a spell's total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Improvise applies after the total cost is calculated.
2017-02-09 When using improvise to cast a spell with in its mana cost, first choose the value for X. That choice, plus any cost increases or decreases, will determine the spell's total cost. Then you can tap artifacts you control to help pay that cost. For example, if you cast Whir of Invention (a spell with improvise and mana cost ) and choose X to be 3, the total cost is . If you tap two artifacts, you'll have to pay .