Inflation Station MTG Card

Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact — Contraption
Released	2017-12-08
Set symbol
Set name	Unstable
Set code	UST
Number	190
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Borderless
Illustred by	Chuck Lukacs
Un-set :-)	This card is part of an Un-set

Key Takeaways

Inflation Station offers card drawing opportunities by creating helpful tokens at instant speed.
Using Inflation Station can challenge mana bases with its specific casting cost and discard rule.
It becomes a versatile card in counter-centric decks, contributing to MTG’s evolving meta.

Text of card

Whenever you crank Inflation Station, target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Inflation Station unlocks potential card advantage by enabling drawing mechanics dependent on token production, ensuring a steady stream of resources for your hand. This mechanism is particularly advantageous in decks that thrive on plentiful draw opportunities.

Resource Acceleration: By generating Clue, Food, and Treasure tokens, Inflation Station acts as a formidable engine of resource acceleration. Each token not only offers a path to mana but also interacts with other aspects of gameplay, making them versatile assets in controlling the flow of the match.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Inflation Station at instant speed gives you the flexibility to respond to your opponents’ moves or end-of-turn decisions. This can also disrupt their strategy by swelling your board with tokens when they least expect it, upholding a dynamic stance in the battlefield dynamics.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Inflation Station necessitates parting with a valuable card from your hand, a stipulation that can put a strain on your options, especially if your hand is already dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting requires a precise mana arrangement which could clash with multicolor strategies or decks that lack flexible mana bases, making it occasionally burdensome to play.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The casting amount for Inflation Station is relatively substantial. It demands a considerable investment of four mana, which sets the bar high compared to similar cards in the game that could be more economically cast and potentially yield a greater impact on the board state.

Reasons to Include Inflation Station in Your Collection

Versatility: Inflation Station is a flexible card that can seamlessly integrate into a range of deck archetypes. This card becomes particularly useful in builds that capitalize on counters or want to amplify their proliferate mechanics.

Combo Potential: The ability of Inflation Station to manipulate counters offers powerful synergy possibilities, enabling explosive plays when combined with cards that react positively to counter modifications.

Meta-Relevance: With a meta that often shifts towards counter-centric decks or strategies that revolve around permanents with various types of counters, Inflation Station becomes an increasingly crucial asset for staying competitive and exploiting the prevailing trends.

How to Beat Inflation Station

Inflation Station is a unique addition to the realm of continuous artifacts in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to churn out treasure can escalate the mana resources for players each turn. To counteract the potential for resource dominance that Inflation Station provides, one must consider disruption strategies. Artifact removal spells like Abrade or Nature’s Claim can directly target and dismantle your opponent’s setup. Both offer cost-efficient ways to dispatch artifacts and can be pivotal in maintaining balance against decks that rely on Inflation Station’s treasure-generating powerhouse.

Moreover, counterplay options like countering the spell itself when it’s cast can also be effective. Keeping mana open for counterspells such as Negate or Dovin’s Veto might save you from future headaches. Handling Inflation Station early is crucial, as it can quickly lead to overwhelming board states. Sustained pressure and swift removal prove effective in curbing the Inflation Station’s economic advantage before it inflates out of control.

In essence, combating Inflation Station is all about preparedness and timing. Recognizing when to hold your removal spells and when to apply pressure is the key. By interrupting the ramp that Inflation Station provides, you can keep the game state manageable and foil your opponent’s plans.

Cards like Inflation Station

Inflation Station joins the ranks of Magic the Gathering’s mana-acceleration cards with a dose of adaptability. It stands alongside cards such as Smothering Tithe, which, though it may not charge artifacts, establishes a strong presence by rewarding you with Treasure tokens whenever opponents draw. Inflation Station is distinct by granting the power to convert any non-token artifact into a financial advantage.

Storm the Vault is another card that shares kinship with Inflation Station in terms of Treasure creation. While Inflation Station focuses on individual artifact conversion, Storm the Vault flips to transform into a land that offers ramping potential akin to the famed Tolarian Academy. Conversely, Mechanized Production presents an alternative angle, tethering itself to an artifact and potentially copying it every turn—with the added bonus of a victory condition if you amass enough copies.

Despite the competition, Inflation Station’s ability to turn any artifact into a revenue stream without dependence on opponent actions or specific board conditions is a unique trait. This positions it favorably in decks that exploit artifact synergies or seek tactical flexibility.

Mechanized Production - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Inflation Station by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Inflation Station MTG card by a specific set like Unstable, 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 Inflation Station and other MTG cards:

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Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2018-01-19	Any Contraption that’s on the battlefield and wasn’t assembled immediately heads to the scrapyard. However, if it’s a not an actual Contraption card (like Copy Artifact isn’t), it goes to your graveyard as normal. Non-Contraption cards can’t be in the scrapyard.
2018-01-19	At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control any Contraptions, move the CRANK! counter to the next sprocket. You may then crank any number of Contraptions on that sprocket, causing their abilities to trigger. Cranking a Contraption is always optional.
2018-01-19	Contraptions are artifacts. Anything that interacts with artifacts will interact with Contraptions.
2018-01-19	Contraptions aren’t put into your main deck. They go into a separate deck called the Contraption deck.
2018-01-19	If a Contraption would leave the battlefield and go to any zone other than exile, it instead goes to the scrapyard, the Contraption deck’s version of the graveyard. Things that affect the graveyard do not affect the scrapyard. You can exile Contraptions just fine.
2018-01-19	If you crank multiple Contraptions, their abilities can be put onto the stack in any order. The ability put onto the stack will resolve first.
2018-01-19	If you or a permanent you control are instructed to assemble a Contraption, reveal the top card of your Contraption deck. Put it onto the battlefield on one of the three sprockets.
2018-01-19	If you or a permanent you control assembles a Contraption and your Contraption deck is empty, nothing happens. You don’t lose the game.
2018-01-19	In Constructed formats, a Contraption deck must have at least fifteen different Contraption cards and no more than one of each.
2018-01-19	In Limited formats, a Contraption deck may include any number of Contraption cards in your card pool. You don’t have to include every Contraption card you draft or open in sealed deck. In those formats, your Contraption deck may include duplicates.
2018-01-19	In silver-bordered games using Contraptions, you have three sprockets, illustrated on the back of Contraption cards. At the start of the game, put a CRANK! counter on sprocket 3.
2018-01-19	While Contraptions you control are on the battlefield, the Contraption deck is not, even if you are using it to signify the three sprockets.