Quicken MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityRare
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Turns sorcery spells into surprises, providing a strategic edge in fast-paced matches.
  2. Cost-effective at one blue, Quicken fits into many deck architectures seamlessly.
  3. Draws a card upon casting, maintaining card advantage and momentum.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

The next sorcery spell you play this turn can be played any time you could play an instant. Draw a card.

A skilled Izzet chronarch can carry out an epic vendetta between the fall of one hourglass grain and the next.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The unique power of Quicken lies in its ability to turn any sorcery into an unexpected play. Its greatest strength is the card draw it provides without losing momentum, allowing you to maintain hand superiority in the duel.

Resource Acceleration: In the realm of MTG, timing is everything. Quicken propels your game by accelerating strategic resources, transforming potentially dormant turns into pivotal moments filled with action and opportunity.

Instant Speed: With the flexibility of instant speed, Quicken ensures that you’re always one step ahead. Unleash sorceries when your opponents least expect it, during their turn, after their actions, efficiently navigating the complex tides of MTG’s tactical battlegrounds.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Despite Quicken allowing players to cast one sorcery as though it had flash, it comes at the price of potentially losing an important card. Having to discard could mean parting with a vital piece of your strategy, especially in decks where every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Quicken’s mana cost may seem low at only one blue and one generic mana, but this specificity requires your deck to have reliable blue mana sources. This might not be an issue in mono-blue or two-color decks, but in multicolored decks, it could lead to color fixing challenges in the early game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Quicken itself is inexpensive, the fact that it doesn’t offset the mana cost of the sorcery you wish to cast with flash might not be mana-efficient. In scenarios where you’re trying to cast a high-cost sorcery instantly, Quicken adds an extra mana to the overall cost, which may be unfavorable compared to other cards that provide more versatile or cost-effective advantages.


Reasons to Include Quicken in Your Collection

Versatility: Quicken shines in its ability to adapt to various deck strategies, granting the unique capability to cast sorcery spells at instant speed. This flexibility can be a game-changer, allowing for unexpected plays and strategic advantages.

Combo Potential: This card can be pivotal in executing powerful combos, opening the door to casting high-impact sorceries during your opponent’s turn or in response to their actions, which can often lead to a significant shift in the game state.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where the element of surprise and timing can tilt the scales, Quicken’s utility in bypassing the usual casting restrictions can give players an unexpected edge, making it a valuable tool against a variety of popular strategies.


How to beat

Quicken is a unique card within the sphere of MTG that enables the cast of sorcery spells at times they normally can’t be played, such as an opponent’s turn or during combat. Overcoming this instantaneous boost in flexibility demands strategic planning. To counteract this advantage, one effective strategy is to utilize instant-speed removal or counterspells effectively. Being able to anticipate and disrupt your opponent’s strategy by holding the right cards back is key.

Another consideration against Quicken is applying pressure to force out your opponent’s hand. By playing aggressively, you can compel them to use their resources impractically, lowering the likelihood of a significant impact change when Quicken is played. Moreover, cards like Teferi, Time Raveler, which restrict when your opponents can cast spells, or Damping Sphere, that penalizes noncreature spells, can also be potent tools in your arsenal to neutralize Quicken’s effectiveness.

Ultimately, understanding and disrupting your opponent’s timing and resources is the best method to mitigate the card’s potential impact on the game. Adaptability and keen awareness of your opponent’s strategy will guide you to victory against decks that wield the rapid pacing of Quicken.


BurnMana Recommendations

The strategic depth of MTG is embodied in cards like Quicken, capable of transforming the rhythm of play. With its card draw and instant speed capabilities, Quicken can be a formidable asset in the right deck. Considering its pros and cons carefully can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Whether it’s finding that synergistic piece for the perfect combo or managing resources effectively, cards like Quicken highlight the competitive edge that comes with thoughtful play. For those eager to master such innovative strategies and refine their gameplay, we offer a wealth of insights. Dive deeper with us into MTG’s dynamic environment and uncover how to best leverage Quicken’s unique advantages in your deck-building and in-play decisions.


Cards like Quicken

The allure of Quicken lies in its subtle yet powerful ability to alter the rules of engagement in Magic: The Gathering. Quicken’s closest counterparts would be cards like Veil of Secrecy and To Arms!. Both share the capacity to be cast at instant speed for a similar mana cost. However, Quicken uniquely allows for a sorcery to be cast as though it were an instant, giving strategic advantage during an opponent’s turn, which neither Veil of Secrecy nor To Arms! can mimic.

In addition, Quicken is often compared with Scout’s Warning and Savage Summoning. Both of these cards also modify timing restrictions, with Scout’s Warning affecting creature spells and Savage Summoning allowing a creature to dodge countermeasures. Despite this, Quicken’s broader application to any sorcery gives it a wider scope of surprise maneuvers. Moreover, the draw card effect attached to Quicken adds an extra layer of value, ensuring that its caster doesn’t fall behind on resources.

Quicken stands out in decks that prize versatility and the element of surprise. The ability to shift the tempo and catch an adversary off-guard makes Quicken a distinctive and worthwhile inclusion in MTG strategies that aim to outpace and outsmart opponents.

Veil of Secrecy - MTG Card versions
To Arms! - MTG Card versions
Scout's Warning - MTG Card versions
Savage Summoning - MTG Card versions
Veil of Secrecy - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
To Arms! - Guildpact (GPT)
Scout's Warning - Future Sight (FUT)
Savage Summoning - Magic 2014 (M14)

Cards similar to Quicken by color, type and mana cost

Ancestral Recall - MTG Card versions
Jump - MTG Card versions
Sleight of Mind - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Siren's Call - MTG Card versions
Power Sink - MTG Card versions
Blue Elemental Blast - MTG Card versions
Magical Hack - MTG Card versions
Twiddle - MTG Card versions
Riptide - MTG Card versions
Mind Bend - MTG Card versions
Spell Blast - MTG Card versions
Denied! - MTG Card versions
Hydroblast - MTG Card versions
Whispers of the Muse - MTG Card versions
Ertai's Trickery - MTG Card versions
Force Spike - MTG Card versions
Opt - MTG Card versions
Envelop - MTG Card versions
Brainstorm - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Recall - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Jump - Magic 2010 (M10)
Sleight of Mind - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Unsummon - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Siren's Call - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Power Sink - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Blue Elemental Blast - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Magical Hack - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Twiddle - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Riptide - The Dark (DRK)
Mind Bend - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Spell Blast - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Denied! - Unglued (UGL)
Hydroblast - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Whispers of the Muse - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Ertai's Trickery - Planeshift (PLS)
Force Spike - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Opt - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Envelop - Judgment (JUD)
Brainstorm - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Quicken MTG card by a specific set like Guildpact and Magic 2014, 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 Quicken and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Quicken Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2006-02-03 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by Aleksi Briclot.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12006-02-03GuildpactGPT 312003normalblackAleksi Briclot
22013-07-19Magic 2014M14 682003normalblackAleksi Briclot
32017-03-31Duel Decks: Mind vs. MightDDS 62015normalblackAleksi Briclot
42024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 3181997normalblackAleksi Briclot
52024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 572015normalblackAleksi Briclot

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Quicken has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2006-02-01 If you cast multiple Quickens on the same turn, they’ll all apply to the very next sorcery spell you cast.
2006-02-01 You don’t choose a sorcery card when Quicken resolves. Rather, this sets up a rule that is true for you until the turn ends or until you cast a sorcery card, even if you cast that sorcery at a time you normally could.
2006-09-25 After Quicken resolves, you can Suspend a sorcery in your hand any time you can cast an instant. As soon as you actually cast a sorcery, you lose this capability.
2013-07-01 Casting a copy of a sorcery card won’t “use up” Quicken’s effect because the copy isn’t a card.

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