Steady Progress MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Proliferate

Key Takeaways

  1. Draw a card with each cast, maintaining card advantage and putting pressure on opponents.
  2. Indirectly boosts resources by enhancing permanents with various types of counters.
  3. Instant speed allows players to react and choose the best moment to proliferate.

Text of card

Proliferate. (You choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there.) Draw a card.

"More of that strange oil . . . It's probably nothing."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Steady Progress shines in its ability to consistently beef up your proliferation strategies while offering card advantage. By drawing a card with each cast, you can keep your hand full and maintain pressure on your opponents.

Resource Acceleration: Though it doesn’t directly produce mana or Treasure tokens, Steady Progress can indirectly accelerate your resources. It enhances permanents with charge counters, +1/+1 counters, or similar, often leading to more efficient and powerful plays.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Steady Progress gives it the versatility to be used reactively. You can adapt to the game state, choosing the ideal moment to proliferate and drawing a card, be it during your turn or in response to an opponent’s actions.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the setbacks associated with Steady Progress is its precondition that necessitates players to discard a card. This can be quite a constraint, especially in game situations where hand size is critical, and discarding could mean losing a valuable asset that could be pivotal for later stages of the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Steady Progress demands a very particular mana configuration to cast. This can be restrictive for players not running a deck aligned with this mana type or those who might struggle with mana diversity throughout gameplay, potentially leading to the card sitting idle in hand.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When you evaluate Steady Progress based on its mana cost-to-effect ratio, it might not seem as attractive. The mana investment required may appear hefty compared to other options available in the format that might yield a higher reward or impact on the game for the same, or less, mana expenditure.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Steady Progress can be a valuable addition to decks that focus on proliferating counters, lending itself to a variety of strategies, such as supercharging +1/+1 counters, amassing loyalty on planeswalkers, or accelerating infect victories.

Combo Potential: This card excels when combined with permanents that benefit from additional counters. Pair it with cards like Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice for a potent synergy that can quickly outpace your opponents.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where incremental advantage is key, Steady Progress shines by bolstering long-term strategies and ensuring your board state only gets stronger as the game progresses.


How to Beat

Steady Progress is a card that can tip the scales in a prolonged game of Magic: The Gathering. Interestingly enough, this card bolsters strategies that rely on proliferate mechanics, amplifying the number of counters on your permanents, whether they’re +1/+1 or loyalty counters on planeswalkers.

To counteract the advantage Steady Progress offers, one must focus on timing and disruption. Keep in mind that neutralizing the permanents with counters before Steady Progress can resolve is crucial. Utilizing instant-speed removal or counterspells disrupts this strategy effectively. For instance, a well-timed “Fatal Push” or “Path to Exile” can remove critical threat cards before they can benefit from proliferation.

In the realm of countermagic, “Negate” or “Dovin’s Veto” are solid choices for thwarting Steady Progress itself. Remember, addressing key pieces of your opponent’s strategy before they establish a formidable board presence is essential. In doing so, you ensure that Steady Progress won’t have the chance to enhance an already potent force.


BurnMana Recommendations

As MTG players continue to construct and evolve their decks, understanding the unique interactions and opportunities cards like Steady Progress present is vital. Harnessing its power in the right context can make all the difference between victory and defeat. Enhance your proliferate strategies, harness instant speed actions, and maintain a robust hand with this nuanced card. Delve deeper into the tactics that can optimize Steady Progress in your collection. Join us to expand your MTG knowledge, refine your gameplay, and forge a path to success with strategic deck building and in-depth card analysis.


Cards like Steady Progress

Steady Progress is an intriguing option within the proliferate mechanic suite in Magic: The Gathering. This card echoes the abilities found in cards like Tezzeret’s Gambit, which not only allows you to proliferate but also provides the added value of drawing two cards. However, Steady Progress offers players a more streamlined effect at instant speed, allowing for reactive play during an opponent’s turn or end step, which isn’t an option with Tezzeret’s Gambit’s sorcery speed.

Contention arises with Inexorable Tide, known for its repeatable proliferate ability triggered by casting spells. Though the Tide has a higher cost, the potential for multiple proliferations in a single turn cycle can overshadow the one-time effect offered by Steady Progress. Similarly, Volt Charge impacts the board by not only proliferating but also dealing direct damage to a target creature or player. It provides a more aggressive approach, putting pressure on opponents while advancing your board state.

Ultimately, Steady Progress finds its niche as a flexible utility card in decks that aim to maximize the timing of proliferation, offering subtle yet pivotal advancements in counters without the need for immediate card draw or repeatable conditions.

Tezzeret's Gambit - MTG Card versions
Inexorable Tide - MTG Card versions
Volt Charge - MTG Card versions
Tezzeret's Gambit - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Inexorable Tide - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Volt Charge - New Phyrexia (NPH)

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Steady Progress MTG card by a specific set like Scars of Mirrodin and Modern Masters 2015, 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 Steady Progress and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Steady Progress Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2010-10-01 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Efrem Palacios.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-10-01Scars of MirrodinSOM 452003normalblackEfrem Palacios
22015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 582015normalblackEfrem Palacios
32019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 5042015normalblackEfrem Palacios
42020-09-26The ListPLST MM2-582015normalblackEfrem Palacios

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Steady Progress has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2011-01-01 If a permanent chosen this way has multiple kinds of counters on it, only a single new counter is put on that permanent.
2011-01-01 Players can respond to the spell or ability whose effect includes proliferating. Once that spell or ability starts to resolve, however, and its controller chooses which permanents and players will get new counters, it’s too late for anyone to respond.
2011-01-01 This spell has no targets. You can cast it even if there are no players or permanents with counters on them. If you do, you’ll simply draw a card as it resolves.
2011-01-01 You can choose any permanent that has a counter, including ones controlled by opponents. You can’t choose cards in any zone other than the battlefield, even if they have counters on them, such as suspended cards or a Lightning Storm on the stack.
2011-01-01 You can choose any player that has a counter, including yourself.
2011-01-01 You don’t have to choose every permanent or player that has a counter, only the ones you want to add another counter to. Since “any number” includes zero, you don’t have to choose any permanents at all, and you don’t have to choose any players at all.

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