Immediate Action MTG Card
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Conspiracy |
| Abilities | Hidden agenda |
| Released | 2014-06-06 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Conspiracy |
| Set code | CNS |
| Number | 5 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Karl Kopinski |
Key Takeaways
- Immediate Action excels in card advantage by triggering multiple abilities, rapidly changing game dynamics.
- Mana acceleration through Immediate Action allows for casting high-cost spells unexpectedly early.
- Its instant speed feature disrupts opponents’ strategies, keeping them on their toes.
Text of card
Hidden agenda (Start the game with this conspiracy face down in the command zone and secretly name a card. You may turn this conspiracy face up any time and reveal the chosen name.) Creatures you control with the chosen name have haste.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Immediate Action provides players with the ability to trigger not just one but multiple card abilities at once, potentially drawing cards or causing other beneficial effects to chain together. This can swiftly turn the tide of a game by amassing card superiority.
Resource Acceleration: This card is a powerhouse when it comes to ramping up resources. With the right setup, Immediate Action can be a catalyst for a massive spike in mana availability, letting players cast more expensive spells much sooner than their opponents expect.
Instant Speed: The true strength of Immediate Action lies in its instant speed capability, offering the flexibility to disrupt opponents’ strategies by providing a swift response to their moves. This reactive nature keeps opponents guessing and sometimes even forcing them to play around the potential of an Immediate Action response.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Immediate Action cards in MTG often come with a steep price, asking players to sacrifice another card in their hand. While the payoff might be swift, the cost can lead to diminished hand size, undercutting your strategic options later on.
Specific Mana Cost: These cards can also be restrictive with their mana demands, frequently requiring a mix of specific colors. This can pose a challenge in multi-colored decks or those that harness a broader color spectrum, potentially leaving the Immediate Action card as a dead draw at critical moments.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Quick effects don’t necessarily equate to cost efficiency. With Immediate Action cards, you may encounter situations where the mana investment does not align with the advantage gained, especially when compared to other options within the same mana range that can offer ongoing benefits or stronger board presence.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: The ability of Immediate Action to instantaneously boost your creatures’ speed and power makes it a flexible card suited for a variety of decks, particularly in strategies that focus on quick aggression or sudden defensive turns.
Combo Potential: This card excels in synergistic play, combining well with cards that benefit from instant spells or that trigger upon casting noncreature spells, thus opening up avenues for powerful and unexpected combo plays.
Meta-Relevance: Given the emphasis on quick-tempo plays and the ability to react to an opponent’s moves in the current competitive scene, Immediate Action’s surprise factor can be a game-changer, making it a noteworthy addition in a meta that rewards those who can think and act fast.
How to Beat Immediate Action
Immediate Action is a notable card in player circles due to its potential to disrupt strategic planning by altering the speed of creature spells. Relative to other instant-speed actions, this card can grant an unexpected advantage, enabling creatures to sidestep summoning sickness and participate in combat without delay.
To counteract the surprise element that Immediate Action brings to the table, timing and strategy are key. For instance, holding onto instant-speed removal spells or counterspells until your opponent commits to casting Immediate Action can prove effective. This not only neutralizes the threat but also results in a two-for-one by taking care of the buffed creature and the Immediate Action card itself. Skills in anticipation and knowing when to hold back your tricks often make the difference in maintaining control of the game. Additionally, employing board wipes after creatures have been powered up can serve as a reset button, invalidating the temporary boost provided by Immediate Action.
Ultimately, understanding the metagame and recognizing the key moments to react are what will elevate your plays above those who are unprepared for this quick-play card.
Cards like Immediate Action
Immediate Action is another intriguing instantaneous card that allows players to enhance their gameplay speed in Magic: The Gathering. When we examine cards akin to Immediate Action, we notice parallels with the card Lighting Bolt due to its capability to swiftly affect the board state. While Lighting Bolt deals direct damage, offering a clear path to remove creatures or decrease an opponent’s life total, Immediate Action shines in its ability to suddenly boost your creatures’ power, potentially changing the tide of combat in your favor.
Another similar card is Giant Growth, which shares the instant speed buff characteristic. Nevertheless, Giant Growth emphasizes a temporary surge in strength, giving a creature a significant toughness and power increase. This could be more effective in certain scenarios, especially during single combat tricks. Comparably, Immediate Action aims for a more subtle intervention, offering swiftness to your army, thereby enabling surprise attacks or blocking maneuvers against an unsuspecting opponent.
In and of itself, Immediate Action finds its niche by providing a quick edge, an essential aspect for players aiming to outpace and outmaneuver their adversaries in a game known for strategic combat decisions.
Cards similar to Immediate Action by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Immediate Action MTG card by a specific set like Conspiracy, 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 Immediate Action and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Immediate Action has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Banned |
| Legacy | Banned |
| Oathbreaker | Banned |
| Vintage | Banned |
| Duel | Banned |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Immediate Action card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-08-23 | A conspiracy doesn’t count as a card in your deck for purposes of meeting minimum deck size requirements. (In most drafts, the minimum deck size is 40 cards.) |
| 2016-08-23 | A conspiracy with hidden agenda that has a triggered ability must be face up before that ability’s trigger condition is met in order for it to trigger. Turning it face up afterward won’t have any effect. |
| 2016-08-23 | A conspiracy’s static and triggered abilities function as long as that conspiracy is face-up in the command zone. |
| 2016-08-23 | As a special action, you may turn a face-down conspiracy face up. You may do so any time you have priority. This action doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to. Once face up, the named card is revealed and the conspiracy’s abilities will affect the game. |
| 2016-08-23 | At the end of the game, you must reveal any face-down conspiracies you own in the command zone to all players. |
| 2016-08-23 | At the end of the game, you must reveal any face-down conspiracies you own in the command zone to all players. Notably, you can’t bluff conspiracies with hidden agenda by putting other cards into the command zone face down as the game starts. |
| 2016-08-23 | Conspiracies are colorless, have no mana cost, and can’t be cast as spells. |
| 2016-08-23 | Conspiracies are never put into your deck. Instead, you put any number of conspiracies from your card pool into the command zone as the game begins. These conspiracies are face up unless they have hidden agenda, in which case they begin the game face down. |
| 2016-08-23 | Conspiracies aren’t legal for any sanctioned Constructed format, but may be included in other Limited formats, such as Cube Draft. |
| 2016-08-23 | If you play multiple games after the draft, you can name a different card in each new game. |
| 2016-08-23 | There are several ways to secretly name a card, including writing the name on a piece of paper that’s kept with the face-down conspiracy. If you have multiple face-down conspiracies, you may name a different card for each one. It’s important that each named card is clearly associated with only one of the conspiracies. |
| 2016-08-23 | You can look at any player’s face-up conspiracies at any time. You’ll also know how many face-down conspiracies a player has in the command zone, although you won’t know what they are. |
| 2016-08-23 | You don’t have to play with any conspiracy you draft. However, you have only one opportunity to put conspiracies into the command zone, as the game begins. You can’t put conspiracies into the command zone after this point. |
| 2016-08-23 | You must name a Magic card. Notably, you can’t name a token (except in the unusual case that a token’s name matches the name of a card, such as Illusion). |
| 2016-08-23 | You name the card as the game begins, as you put the conspiracy into the command zone, not as you turn the face-down conspiracy face up. |
