Maximize Velocity MTG Card
2018-10-05 - Number 111
2019-11-07 - Number 1010
2020-09-26 - Number GRN-111
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Abilities | Jump-start |
Key Takeaways
- Instant haste and jump-start offer potent surprise and value, making creatures immediately threatening.
- Discard for jump-start can be costly, and a red mana cost limits deck diversity.
- Great for aggressive decks, it may outpace single-use haste spells and defensive alternatives.
Text of card
Target creature gets +1/+1 and gains haste until end of turn. Jump-start (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a card in addition to paying its other costs. Then exile this card.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: At its core, Maximize Velocity serves a fundamental role by allowing a creature to instantly become a more formidable threat. The jump-start mechanic embedded within this card presents a pivotal opportunity for players to reuse it from the graveyard, potentially doubling the value gained from a single card.
Resource Acceleration: Though this card doesn’t directly produce mana, the ability to grant haste to a key creature can drastically speed up your overall game plan. This acceleration of your board state can force opponents to respond more quickly than they might like, effectively rushing them and potentially leading to misplays or inefficient use of their resources.
Instant Speed: Maximize Velocity’s versatility is heightened by its casting speed. Being able to cast at instant speed means you can surprise an adversary by transforming an unassuming creature into a sudden attacker or blocker. This surprise factor can swing the momentum of the game in your favor at critical junctures, especially when timing is everything.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Maximize Velocity requires you to discard a card to activate its jump-start ability, placing you at a potential card disadvantage especially if your hand is already sparse.
Specific Mana Cost: The card demands a red mana to cast, making it a less versatile addition for decks that aren’t primarily red or don’t have reliable mana fixing capabilities.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While a single red mana seems affordable, the requirement to discard another card adds to the total cost you pay to get a creature hastily across the battlefield. Alternative spells may provide similar or better acceleration without sacrificing card advantage.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Maximize Velocity is a flexible spell that can find a home in various decks, enhancing those that prioritize speed and need to give creatures haste at a moment’s notice.
Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with strategies that aim to cast multiple spells in a single turn, as it comes with Jump-start, allowing a second use from the graveyard.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state that favors quick, aggressive plays, Maximize Velocity can be the difference-maker, enabling critical attacks that align with tempo or aggro deck archetypes.
How to beat
Maximize Velocity is a unique card in Magic: The Gathering that can often catch opponents off guard. Its ability to grant haste to a creature and the Jump-start feature allowing it to be played from the graveyard provides a significant tempo advantage. To effectively counter this tactic, controlling the battlefield and keeping removal spells or counterspells at the ready is essential. Instant speed interaction allows you to respond to the threat as it’s played, mitigating its impact.
Desiring to maintain the upper hand against such a strategic play, consider including efficient creature removal or bounce spells in your deck. This ensures that when an opponent tries to surprise you with Maximize Velocity, you can swiftly eliminate or return the hasty creature to their hand, disrupting their plans. Additionally, graveyard hate cards that exile cards from the graveyard can cripple their ability to get a second use out of Maximize Velocity, further setting back their aggressive strategy.
At the core, preparing a response to this card involves strategic deck building and staying vigilant during gameplay. The right mix of instant removal and graveyard disruption can help maintain control over any situation involving Maximize Velocity, leaving your opponent’s rapid plays in the dust.
Cards like Maximize Velocity
Maximize Velocity joins the roster of speed-enhancing cards for MTG aficionados looking to quicken their tempo on the battlefield. Like Maximize Velocity, cards such as Expedite grant creatures haste and provide card advantage with a modest draw. Expedite offers this ability at the same mana cost but doesn’t feature the jump-start ability that Maximize Velocity possesses. This unique ability allows players to recast Maximize Velocity from the graveyard, ensuring a second surge of speed later in the game.
Dive Down is another spell beloved for its low cost and instant speed but serves a different purpose by focusing on protection rather than aggression. It shields a single creature with a toughness-boosting effect and hexproof but doesn’t propel your forces into immediate action like Maximize Velocity.
Comparing these cards highlights how Maximize Velocity uniquely combines the elements of velocity and recursion. In a game where pace can be pivotal, Maximize Velocity offers a strategic edge by enabling a double dip into the resource, distinguishing it from single-use cards like Expedite and the defensive Dive Down.
Cards similar to Maximize Velocity by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Maximize Velocity MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica and Mystery Booster, 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 Maximize Velocity 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
Printings
The Maximize Velocity Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-10-05 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Svetlin Velinov.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018-10-05 | Guilds of Ravnica | GRN | 111 | 2015 | normal | black | Svetlin Velinov | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1010 | 2015 | normal | black | Svetlin Velinov | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | GRN-111 | 2015 | normal | black | Svetlin Velinov |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Maximize Velocity has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Maximize Velocity card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-10-05 | A spell cast using jump-start will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, it’s countered, or it leaves the stack in some other way. |
| 2018-10-05 | If a card with jump-start is put into your graveyard during your turn, you’ll be able to cast it right away if it’s legal to do so, before an opponent can take any actions. |
| 2018-10-05 | If an effect allows you to pay an alternative cost rather than a spell’s mana cost, you may pay that alternative cost when you jump-start a spell. You’ll still discard a card as an additional cost to cast it. |
| 2018-10-05 | You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card’s type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using jump-start only when you could normally cast a sorcery. |
