Haywire Mite MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Insect |
| Released | 2022-11-18 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | The Brothers' War |
| Set code | BRO |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 199 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Izzy |
Key Takeaways
- Haywire Mite offers indirect card advantage by artifact sacrifice and instant-speed play flexibility.
- The card demands specific mana and can be costly if the discard requirement unbalances your hand.
- It’s a wise meta pick with synergy in artifact-focused decks and significant combo potential.
Text of card
When Haywire Mite dies, you gain 2 life. , Sacrifice Haywire Mite: Exile target noncreature artifact or noncreature enchantment.
"They're easy enough to squish, but they're a pain to wash out of a workbench." —Tergel, goblin explosioneer
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Haywire Mite has the capability to disrupt your opponent’s battlefield by forcing them to sacrifice an artifact. This can lead to gaining an indirect card advantage as you potentially remove a high value permanent from your adversary’s side while still keeping your own resources unaffected.
Resource Acceleration: With its affordable mana cost, this card can efficiently accelerate your resource development by allowing you to deploy threats or answers earlier in the game. Its low cost integrates seamlessly into strategies that aim to outpace the opponent by maximizing the use of mana each turn.
Instant Speed: The ability of Haywire Mite to be activated at instant speed adds a layer of flexibility to your gameplay. It enables you to react to your opponent’s moves during their turn, which can be crucial for disrupting their plans or for making optimal strategic decisions based on the state of the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Haywire Mite card demands that you discard another card to activate its ability. This can be a significant setback, especially when you’re already struggling with an empty hand and need every card to count.
Specific Mana Cost: Haywire Mite requires not just any mana, but a precise combination of colorless and red mana to cast. This specificity means that players with multicolored or off-theme decks might face a tighter squeeze incorporating it without disrupting their mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Considering that Haywire Mite carries a cost that might be on the higher end for its impact on the game, players often might opt for alternatives. There are numerous other creatures or spells that provide equal or greater utility without the steep investment, making Haywire Mite a potential pass in competitive deck-building.
Reasons to Include Haywire Mite in Your Collection
Versatility: Haywire Mite is a card that shines in its adaptability. This little creature can be an unexpected wrench in your opponent’s plans, capable of disabling their key artifacts or simply serving as an early blocker. Its flexibility allows it to fit seamlessly into various deck archetypes, from aggressive builds that need to clear the path to more control-oriented strategies that require disruption.
Combo Potential: This critter has synergy with decks focusing on artifact manipulation or destruction. Paired with cards that benefit from artifacts hitting the graveyard, Haywire Mite can become a recurring threat that adds layers of strategy to your plays. Whether you’re triggering death effects or powering up graveyard-based mechanics, its presence on the board is a stepping stone for intricate combos.
Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of artifact-heavy decks in the current MTG meta, the inclusion of Haywire Mite may offer you a competitive edge. By nullifying your opponent’s powerful artifact strategies, you can level the playing field or even tilt it in your favor. It’s a smart choice for anyone looking to stay one step ahead in a meta that’s teeming with artifacts.
How to beat Haywire Mite
Haywire Mite is a recent quirky artifact creature that’s been causing quite a stir among MTG players. Its ability to tap and untap not only itself but other nonland permanents can be a slippery obstacle to overcome, particularly in formats where board control and the timing of abilities are crucial. The key to defeating Haywire Mite lies in swift removal. Cards like Fatal Push or Abrade are perfect, as they can remove the Mite before its controller has an opportunity to make use of its abilities. Counterspells, of course, offer another layer of defense, preventing Haywire Mite from ever hitting the battlefield.
Moreover, include cards in your deck that can deal with an array of permanents at any given time. Versatile answers like Assassin’s Trophy or Chaos Warp can handle the Haywire Mite and any other troubling cards your opponent might sneak onto the board. Remember, the faster you can respond to the Mite’s presence, the less impact it will have on your strategy. It’s worth considering some preemptive measures, too, such as playing with cards that restrict the use of activated abilities or that punish the opponent for relying on them heavily.
In summary, plan ahead and include instant-speed interaction in your deck to efficiently deal with Haywire Mite and cards of its ilk. With the right responses at your disposal, this artifact creature can be kept in check, allowing you to press on towards victory unimpeded.
Cards like Haywire Mite
Haywire Mite enters the lineup of disruptive creatures in Magic: The Gathering with a distinctive edge. Its abilities to tap and untap artifacts bring it closer to cards like Manic Vandal in terms of potential to unsettle an opponent’s strategy. However, Haywire Mite offers more versatility with its ‘may untap’ clause, allowing for strategic plays not just during your turn but also during opponents’ turns. This compares favorably to other artifact interaction creatures which typically have a one-time effect.
Looking at Rattletrap Smith, which shares the artifact focus, we notice that while it can destroy an artifact when it enters the battlefield, it lacks the ongoing control that Haywire Mite provides. Similarly, Quicksmith Rebel grants repeated artifact interaction, but it’s tied to a single artifact and lacks the tapping flexibility inherent to Haywire Mite.
By analyzing these comparisons, Haywire Mite shows a unique position within creature cards that interact with artifacts. Its repeated use capability, combined with the freedom to influence artifact states on the battlefield, makes it a nuanced choice for players focusing on constant artifact manipulation in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Haywire Mite by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Haywire Mite MTG card by a specific set like The Brothers' War, 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 Haywire Mite and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Haywire Mite has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |