Invigorate MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Casting Invigorate for free boosts tempo, a critical component in winning matches.
  2. The card’s versatility shines in green decks or those involving life total tactics.
  3. Strategic cons include potential life total leverage by opponents and mana cost.

Text of card

If you control a forest, you may have an opponent gain 3 life instead of paying Invigorate's mana cost. Target creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The power of Invigorate lies significantly in its cost-to-effect ratio. Under the right circumstances, casting this without paying its mana cost can be a major turning point, especially when every card in hand counts. As a bonus, the life gained by the opponent is often inconsequential compared to the tempo and combat superiority it provides.

Resource Acceleration: Invigorate doesn’t directly generate mana or ramp, but indirectly, it accelerates your game plan by allowing you to commit other resources to the board while still holding up a potent combat trick. This can lead to a significant advance in board state without the need for additional mana investment at that moment.

Instant Speed: One of Invigorate’s greatest strengths is the flexibility offered by its instant speed. This allows you to surprise an opponent during combat, turning what appears to be a poor trade into a decisive victory. This not only can save your creature from a would-be fatal exchange but also potentially remove an opposing threat, maintaining or swinging the momentum in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Invigorate can be a powerful pump spell, the requirement to give your opponent 3 life could be a strategic setback. This cost might not seem high, but in games where life totals are critical, it can turn the tides against you.

Specific Mana Cost: Invigorate has a relatively specific mana cost, requiring one green mana. This requirement confines it primarily to green decks or those that can generate green mana easily, potentially limiting its versatility in multicolored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite the alternative cost of giving an opponent life, the actual mana cost of Invigorate is three mana—one green and two generic. In competitive play, where efficiency is key, this can be a drawback as there are spells that boost creature power at a lower cost, albeit without the free casting option.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Invigorate is a flexible spell that can seamlessly slot into various green deck builds. Its ability to give a creature a swift power boost without paying any mana cost, as long as you control a forest, enables it to serve as a surprise element during combat or a critical moment in the game.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with strategies that thrive on life total variation or benefit from casting spells without paying their mana costs. It can unexpectedly tilt combat in your favor or be paired with cards that capitalize on life gain for momentous swings in player advantage.

Meta-Relevance: Given that the pace of the game often dictates winning or losing, Invigorate holds its ground in metas with aggressive strategies where life totals are a resource that can be leveraged. Its value is heightened in matches where the timely buff to a creature can be the difference between victory and defeat.


How to beat

Invigorate is an enticing option in the realm of pump spells in Magic: The Gathering. It’s akin to Giant Growth, granting your creatures a sudden boost in power and toughness. But Invigorate stands out with its potential for a free cast if you control a Forest, swapping its mana cost for a life advantage to your opponent. To outmaneuver this card, a keen awareness of your opponent’s life total is crucial. It is often best to anticipate Invigorate during combat, where removal spells or cards that negate life gain can disrupt this strategy. Cards like Sudden Shock can prevent the use of Invigorate by dealing damage that can’t be responded to, while Tainted Remedy would turn its life-giving downside into a damaging effect.

Another effective approach is to maintain control over the board with consistent removal or creatures with damage prevention abilities. As Invigorate can only be as effective as the creature it enhances, keeping your opponent’s creature count low or their quality minimal will significantly diminish the impact of Invigorate on the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’re savvy about the spells you sling in MTG, the versatile Invigorate is one to watch. It can be the ace up your sleeve during tense moments, where your strategic acumen turns the tides in your favor. Does it have a place in your green deck arsenal? It’s worth considering for that clutch moment when mana is scarce but the need for might is high. Reflect on your playstyle and if life totals are just another resource, then Invigorate’s potential to unexpectedly bolster your creature could be your path to triumph. Dive deeper into its strategies, counters, and companions in our comprehensive guide. Let’s advance your gameplay, one clever card choice at a time.


Cards like Invigorate

Invigorate holds a unique position in the array of buff spells in Magic: The Gathering. It bears similarities to cards like Giant Growth, which offers a comparable temporary boost in power and toughness. Invigorate, however, provides a significant advantage with its alternative casting cost of simply granting your opponent 3 life. This feature allows for rapid and unexpected plays without spending mana, potentially turning the tide of the game.

Considering Blossoming Defense, we notice it only gives a +2/+2 bonus but it has the added perk of granting hexproof. This protects the targeted creature from spells or abilities your opponent might control. Whereas Mutagenic Growth, much like Invigorate, can be cast for free at the expense of 2 life, offering an immediate increase in a creature’s capabilities but with a less potent boost of only +2/+2.

After exploration and examination, Invigorate stands out within the pump spells category in Magic: The Gathering. Its potential for mana-free plays allows for strategic depth and sudden swings in battlefield dominance, confirming its place as a formidably versatile card.

Giant Growth - MTG Card versions
Blossoming Defense - MTG Card versions
Mutagenic Growth - MTG Card versions
Giant Growth - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Blossoming Defense - Kaladesh (KLD)
Mutagenic Growth - New Phyrexia (NPH)

Cards similar to Invigorate by color, type and mana cost

Foxfire - MTG Card versions
Verdigris - MTG Card versions
Team Spirit - MTG Card versions
Refresh - MTG Card versions
Vivify - MTG Card versions
Primal Boost - MTG Card versions
Sprouting Vines - MTG Card versions
Natural Affinity - MTG Card versions
Ferocious Charge - MTG Card versions
Graphic Violence - MTG Card versions
Remodel - MTG Card versions
Roar of Jukai - MTG Card versions
Rending Vines - MTG Card versions
Early Harvest - MTG Card versions
Wildsize - MTG Card versions
Hail Storm - MTG Card versions
Harrow - MTG Card versions
Pistus Strike - MTG Card versions
Beast Within - MTG Card versions
Hunter's Insight - MTG Card versions
Foxfire - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Verdigris - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Team Spirit - Unglued (UGL)
Refresh - Odyssey (ODY)
Vivify - Odyssey (ODY)
Primal Boost - Onslaught (ONS)
Sprouting Vines - Scourge (SCG)
Natural Affinity - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Ferocious Charge - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Graphic Violence - Unhinged (UNH)
Remodel - Unhinged (UNH)
Roar of Jukai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Rending Vines - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Early Harvest - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Wildsize - Commander Legends (CMR)
Hail Storm - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Harrow - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Pistus Strike - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Beast Within - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Hunter's Insight - Commander Masters (CMM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Invigorate MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques and Commander 2011, 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 Invigorate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Invigorate Magic the Gathering card was released in 10 different sets between 1999-10-04 and 2022-10-14. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11999-10-04Mercadian MasquesMMQ 2541997normalblackDan Frazier
22011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 1622003normalblackDan Frazier
32014-12-05Duel Decks Anthology: Garruk vs. LilianaGVL 192015normalblackDan Frazier
42015-11-18Legendary Cube Prize PackPZ1 812015normalblackMark Zug
52016-06-10Eternal MastersEMA 1742015normalblackMark Zug
62018-03-16Masters 25A25 1732015normalblackMark Zug
72019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 12432015normalblackMark Zug
82020-08-07Double Masters2XM 1722015normalblackMark Zug
92020-09-26The ListPLST A25-1732015normalblackMark Zug
102022-10-14Game Night: Free-for-AllGN3 992015normalblackMark Zug

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Invigorate has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperBanned
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-08-07 If an effect says that an opponent can't gain life, you can't have that player gain life to pay Invigorate's alternative cost. If an effect instead replaces life gain, such as that of Sulfuric Vortex, you may choose to pay the cost even though the cost's action is replaced with nothing.
2020-08-07 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying (such as the alternative cost of Invigorate), add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.

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