Mirran Mettle MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Metalcraft
Released	2011-02-04
Set symbol
Set name	Mirrodin Besieged
Set code	MBS
Number	84
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Karl Kopinski

Key Takeaways

Offers two-for-one value in combat, leveraging card superiority and battlefield presence.
Cost-effective boost for artifact-heavy decks, enhancing aggressive and tactical strategies.
Maintain control against it with targeted artifact removal and strategic spell timing.

Text of card

Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Metalcraft — That creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn instead if you control three or more artifacts.

"Our land will not yield to Phyrexian corruption!"

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mirran Mettle offers the potential to be a two-for-one in combat scenarios, as its buff could help a creature survive when it would otherwise be destroyed, allowing you to maintain card superiority on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: This card can effectively be a zero-cost spell under the right conditions, thanks to its Metalcraft ability. If you control three or more artifacts, it gets a significant power boost without the need to invest any additional mana, potentially accelerating your game plan.

Instant Speed: The instant nature of Mirran Mettle gives you the flexibility to adapt to the state of the game by enhancing a creature’s power and toughness during combat or in response to an opponent’s actions, catching them off guard.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mirran Mettle’s potential is only fully realized if you’ve previously discarded a card, meaning it demands additional resources from your hand. This can sometimes put you at a disadvantage, especially in game stages where each card in hand is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a precise combination of mana—specifically one Phyrexian Green—restricts the versatility of this card, making it less flexible for decks that aren’t already aligned with those mana colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Mirran Mettle offers a potent boost, the card’s effectiveness is diminished by its comparatively high mana cost. In the current metagame, there are alternative cards that may offer similar buffs without the same investment, enabling faster and potentially more efficient plays.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mirran Mettle offers a quick and affordable boost to creatures, making it applicable in a variety of deck builds that focus on swift, aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: With its instant-speed capability, Mirran Mettle pairs well with permanents that benefit from temporary power increases or require a sudden boost for a tactical surprise during combat.

Meta-Relevance: Against a backdrop of artifact-centric decks or metalcraft mechanics, the power of Mirran Mettle scales dramatically, offering an edge in environments where these elements are prevalent.

How to beat

Mirran Mettle, an intriguing instant card in the game of Magic: The Gathering, presents an engaging challenge to players who wish to counter it effectively. Known for bolstering a creature’s power and toughness, this card becomes a formidable force, especially when metalcraft—a condition met when you control three or more artifacts—is achieved. With metalcraft, Mirran Mettle doesn’t give a slight boost; it massively pumps your opponent’s creature, potentially swinging the game.

To navigate around this card’s potency, key strategies involve artifact removal and timing your spells. Cards like Naturalize or Shatter can dismantle the artifact setup that Mirran Mettle relies on. This approach pulls the rug out from under metalcraft, diminishing the card’s impact considerably. Moreover, smart spell timing is crucial. By waiting until your opponent casts Mirran Mettle, you can respond with instant-speed removal or counters, nullifying the enhancement and often leaving the opponent’s creature vulnerable. It’s essential to maintain a balance between proactive disruption and reactive control to triumph over the surprise power surge that Mirran Mettle can provide.

When facing this card, remember to prioritize your threats, be resourceful with your counterspells, and dismantle the artifact base when possible. This strategy will diminish Mirran Mettle’s influence and keep you in command of the game.

Cards like Mirran Mettle

Mirran Mettle truly shines in Magic: The Gathering as a pump spell with the potential to massively increase a creature’s power. Compared to Giant Growth, a classic favorite among pump spells, Mirran Mettle offers a similar boost of +3/+3 under the right conditions. What differentiates Mirran Mettle is its Metalcraft bonus, activating the additional power boost only if you control three or more artifacts.

Another related card in this domain is Scale Up, which temporarily turns a creature into a 6/4. While not providing the conditional strength boost Mirran Mettle does, Scale Up can be more transformational by setting a creature’s base power and toughness. Temur Battle Rage also stands in parallel, offering double strike instead of a power boost, potentially yielding more damage if the creature already has significant power.

Each of these cards has its use case, but when it comes to synergy with artifact-heavy decks, Mirran Mettle serves as a strategic choice that can unexpectedly tip the scales of combat in your favor. Its ability to be cast for a single green mana also makes it a versatile tool in the arsenal of Magic: The Gathering players looking to enhance their combat phase.

Cards similar to Mirran Mettle by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mirran Mettle MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin Besieged, 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 Mirran Mettle and other MTG cards: