Era of Innovation MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Enhances gameplay by offering card advantage and strategic depth through additional card draw mechanics.
  2. Increases mana resources via energy counters, synergizing well with artifact and artificer plays.
  3. Flexible use with instant-speed interactions allows for surprise tactics within MTG matches.

Text of card

Whenever an artifact or Artificer enters the battlefield under your control, you may pay . If you do, you get (two energy counters). Pay , Sacrifice Era of Innovation: Draw three cards.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Era of Innovation enhances your potential to sustain or build a dominant position through drawing extra cards. When you play an artifact or an Artificer, this card’s ability to provide you with the option to pay a small cost to draw cards can be a game-changer, keeping your hand full and ready for action.

Resource Acceleration: A key benefit of Era of Innovation is its synergy with other cards to increase your mana resources. With each artifact that comes into play, you have the opportunity to pay a minimal amount and in return, you can sacrifice it to add a substantial amount of energy counters that can be utilized to fuel other potent abilities or pave the way for a massive play.

Instant Speed: While Era of Innovation itself is not an instant, it provides benefits at any speed. The ability to trigger and use the energy counters you’ve accumulated can interact seamlessly with your instant-speed spells. Securing an advantage or seamlessly integrating into a strategy that values flexibility and surprise can often flip the dynamics of a match in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of the Era of Innovation is its prerequisite of discarding another card. This act could potentially put you at a resource disadvantage, particularly in moments where every card in your hand is vital for your strategy execution.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a blue mana as part of its casting cost. While this fits seamlessly into blue-centric decks, it may not be as convenient for multi-colored decks or those that don’t consistently generate blue mana, ultimately limiting its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that requires three mana, there are alternative cards available with lower mana requirements that offer similar or better advantages. The mana investment for the benefits provided by Era of Innovation might not always be the most efficient use of your resources in a game where tempo matters.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Era of Innovation offers adaptability to deck builders by enhancing strategies in artifact-centric or energy-based decks across multiple formats.

Combo Potential: This enchantment can generate a significant energy reserve that can be used in conjunction with other energy mechanics for powerful interactions or unexpected plays.

Meta-Relevance: With the evolving game environment, Era of Innovation can exploit the recurring presence of artifact strategies, making it a tactical inclusion against trending decks.


How to beat

Era of Innovation is an enchantment card in MTG that rewards players for their artifacts and energy-triggered abilities, offering an avenue for drawing additional cards. To effectively counter this strategy, it’s essential to limit its influence swiftly. This can often be achieved by employing removal spells that target enchantments directly, such as Naturalize or Disenchant. These cards allow you to dispatch Era of Innovation before your opponent can capitalize on its card drawing potential.

Furthermore, sidestepping the card draw requirement altogether is another smart approach. Constructive and calculated aggression can pressure opponents early in the game, making the additional card draw from Era of Innovation less impactful. Employing a strategy that disrupts your opponent’s setup, such as discard mechanics or countering their key spell activations, can prevent them from settling into a rhythm where Era of Innovation would shine.

To summarize, whether by direct removal of the enchantment, preemptive disruption, or through fast-paced pressure, there exists a multiplicity of tactics to ensure that Era of Innovation doesn’t turn the tides against you in the energy-driven landscape of MTG.


Cards like Era of Innovation

Era of Innovation takes its place in the MTG universe as a unique enchantment that rewards players for playing artifacts and energy-themed cards. It draws parallels to Efficient Construction, another enchantment that gives an additional Thopter token when an artifact enters the battlefield. However, Era of Innovation provides a choice to pay energy and draw cards, offering a more direct resource advantage.

Whirler Virtuoso presents itself as an interesting counterpart. While it also utilizes energy counters, it focuses on creating Thopter tokens, unlike the card draw option Era of Innovation affords. Glimmer of Genius is another related spell that provides energy and card draw but lacks the ongoing artifact synergy found in Era of Innovation, limiting its potential for recurring value.

These comparisons highlight Era of Innovation’s strategic role in MTG decks that favour artifact play and long-term energy counter strategies. Its ability to potentially draw cards multiple times over the course of a game gives it an edge in decks looking to capitalize on sustained advantage and synergy over one-off effects.

Efficient Construction - MTG Card versions
Whirler Virtuoso - MTG Card versions
Glimmer of Genius - MTG Card versions
Efficient Construction - Aether Revolt (AER)
Whirler Virtuoso - Kaladesh (KLD)
Glimmer of Genius - Kaladesh (KLD)

Cards similar to Era of Innovation by color, type and mana cost

Invisibility - MTG Card versions
Power Leak - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Terrain - MTG Card versions
Stasis - MTG Card versions
Creature Bond - MTG Card versions
Lifetap - MTG Card versions
Power Artifact - MTG Card versions
Psychic Venom - MTG Card versions
Venarian Gold - MTG Card versions
Soar - MTG Card versions
Flooded Shoreline - MTG Card versions
Dance of Many - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Veil - MTG Card versions
Legacy's Allure - MTG Card versions
Chill - MTG Card versions
Buoyancy - MTG Card versions
Mana Maze - MTG Card versions
Psionic Gift - MTG Card versions
Immobilizing Ink - MTG Card versions
Stupefying Touch - MTG Card versions
Invisibility - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Power Leak - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Phantasmal Terrain - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Stasis - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Creature Bond - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Lifetap - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Power Artifact - Antiquities (ATQ)
Psychic Venom - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Venarian Gold - Legends (LEG)
Soar - Mirage (MIR)
Flooded Shoreline - Visions (VIS)
Dance of Many - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Teferi's Veil - Weatherlight (WTH)
Legacy's Allure - Tempest (TMP)
Chill - Tempest (TMP)
Buoyancy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Mana Maze - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Psionic Gift - Odyssey (ODY)
Immobilizing Ink - Odyssey (ODY)
Stupefying Touch - Torment (TOR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Era of Innovation MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh and Kaladesh Remastered, 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 Era of Innovation and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Era of Innovation Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by Jason Rainville.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-09-30KaladeshKLD 452015normalblackJason Rainville
22020-11-12Kaladesh RemasteredKLR 472015normalblackJason Rainville

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Era of Innovation has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2016-09-20 If a creature that is both an artifact and an Artificer enters the battlefield under your control, Era of Innovation's triggered ability triggers only once.
2016-09-20 You can pay only once each time Era of Innovation's first ability resolves. You can't pay more to get more than .
2017-02-09 Energy counters are a kind of counter that a player may have. They're not associated with specific permanents. (Other kinds of counters that players may have include poison and experience.)
2017-02-09 Energy counters aren't mana. They don't go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana “of any type” to your mana pool can't give you energy counters.
2017-02-09 If an effect says you get one or more , you get that many energy counters. To pay one or more , you lose that many energy counters. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters.
2017-02-09 Keep careful track of how many energy counters each player has. You may do so by keeping a running count on paper, by using a die, or by any other clear and mutually agreeable method.
2017-02-09 You can't pay more energy counters than you have.
2017-02-09 is the energy symbol. It represents one energy counter.

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