Mission Briefing MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeInstant
Abilities Surveil

Key Takeaways

  1. Mission Briefing surges past opponents by reusing powerful spells from your graveyard.
  2. Its instant speed flexibility can provide unexpected and game-altering advantages.
  3. The card’s synergy with graveyard-based decks makes it a meta-relevant choice.

Text of card

Surveil 2, then choose an instant or sorcery card in your graveyard. You may cast it this turn. If that spell would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead. (To surveil 2, look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest on top of your library in any order.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mission Briefing offers a peek into your graveyard, allowing you to select from the spells cast earlier in the game. This means that you effectively get to reuse the best spell for the current situation, ensuring you get the most out of every card in your deck. This can lead to a significant edge over your opponent, as you strategically dribble out maximum value from your past plays.

Resource Acceleration: While Mission Briefing itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, it synergizes well with other cards that benefit from spells being cast or put into the graveyard. Each Mission Briefing can be the catalyst for a chain of actions that ultimately lead to an increase in both your available mana and the spells at your disposal, potentially turning the tide of the game.

Instant Speed: Mission Briefing operates at instant speed, providing a layer of flexibility that many sorcery-speed alternatives lack. This allows you to wait out your opponent’s turn and make a calculated decision in response to their actions. Whether you’re disrupting their combo or setting up your win, the element of surprise that it offers can be a powerful tool.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mission Briefing presents you with a hurdle by necessitating the disposal of a card as an additional play cost. This can deplete essential resources, particularly if your hand size is already dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: Tapping into blue mana twice, Mission Briefing caters predominantly to blue-aligned decks, which can curb its integration into a more diverse color scheme within your gameplay.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Surveying the landscape of instant and sorcery retrieving options, the double blue mana and two generic mana for Mission Briefing may seem steep, especially when more economical alternatives are available that might supply similar or even better utility.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mission Briefing offers a unique twofold utility. It allows players to not only surveil but also gives the opportunity to cast an instant or sorcery card from the graveyard, thus fitting seamlessly into decks that capitalize on spell recursion or manipulation.

Combo Potential: This card is a linchpin in setups that revolve around casting spells from places other than the hand. By creating new angles for combos, Mission Briefing elevates decks geared towards surprise tactics or those that recycle key spells for a decisive impact.

Meta-Relevance: In a constantly evolving meta where control and graveyard strategies are commonplace, Mission Briefing holds its ground as a strategic option. Its ability to replay potent spells from the graveyard can swing the tide of battle, making it a respected choice in competitive play.


How to beat

Mission Briefing is a unique card in Magic the Gathering that provides players with the invaluable ability to recast an instant or sorcery card from their graveyard. Its flexibility and surveil mechanic make it a formidable card in any strategic deck. In order to effectively combat this card, one must employ disruption techniques that target the player’s graveyard or the stack. Graveyard hate cards like Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze can prevent the recasting ability by removing cards from the graveyard altogether.

Counterspells also play an essential role in overriding Mission Briefing’s stack-based advantages. By countering the card before its effect takes place, you’re not only stopping a potential game-changing replay but also ensuring you keep the tempo in your favor. Another technique involves increasing pressure on the battlefield to accelerate the game, positioning the opponent in a defensive posture that may limit the usefulness of their graveyard resources.

In essence, staying one step ahead and minimizing the impact of the opponent’s graveyard interactions are central to overcoming the strategic depth that Mission Briefing brings to the table. Adaptability and preemptive measures will guide you to victory against decks utilizing this powerful spell.


BurnMana Recommendations

As aficionados of MTG, we understand the nuances that turn a good player into a great one. Pulling off Mission Briefing’s combo potential requires not only skill but also deep insights into the game’s mechanics. It’s about knowing when to play your cards and capitalizing on the vast world of spell recursion. In your journey to perfect your deck, consider the strategic leverage that Mission Briefing offers. Our platform invites you to dive deeper into spell synergies and to explore strategies that will set you apart in your next duel. Boost your gameplay and harness the full power of Mission Briefing. Delve into more advanced techniques and cultivate an indomitable deck with us.


Cards like Mission Briefing

Mission Briefing is a distinctive inclusion in the category of spell recursion cards in Magic: The Gathering. It mirrors cards like Snapcaster Mage, well-known for granting spells flashback from the graveyard. Mission Briefing stands out by providing a choice of the top two cards of your library before allowing you to cast a spell with flashback. Snapcaster Mage, by contrast, requires no such choice but instantly gives a single spell flashback upon entry to the battlefield.

Surely there is a mention to be made of Jace, Telepath Unbound. This card has a similar flashback-like effect, although limited to its loyalty abilities. Unlike Mission Briefing, which can be used once and allows for more immediate flexibility in the game, Jace provides a recurring effect that can bring longer-term advantages. Another similar card to consider is Flood of Recollection, which also returns an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand, but unlike Mission Briefing, it doesn’t allow you to surveil, thus providing no card selection benefit.

Ultimately, in analyzing the capabilities and strategic depths of related cards, Mission Briefing secures its place in the competitive scene through its combination of flexibility, choice, and graveyard synergy.

Snapcaster Mage - MTG Card versions
Flood of Recollection - MTG Card versions
Snapcaster Mage - Innistrad (ISD)
Flood of Recollection - Rivals of Ixalan (RIX)

Cards similar to Mission Briefing by color, type and mana cost

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Hurkyl's Recall - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions
Lat-Nam's Legacy - MTG Card versions
Flash - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Updraft - MTG Card versions
Rebound - MTG Card versions
Memory Lapse - MTG Card versions
Hoodwink - MTG Card versions
Tidal Bore - MTG Card versions
Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Response - MTG Card versions
Aether Burst - MTG Card versions
Impulse - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions
Metamorphose - MTG Card versions
Flash Counter - MTG Card versions
Echoing Truth - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - Commander Masters (CMM)
Hurkyl's Recall - Antiquities (ATQ)
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Lat-Nam's Legacy - Alliances (ALL)
Flash - Mirage (MIR)
Boomerang - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Updraft - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Rebound - Stronghold (STH)
Memory Lapse - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Hoodwink - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Tidal Bore - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Accumulated Knowledge - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Teferi's Response - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Aether Burst - Odyssey (ODY)
Impulse - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Cyclonic Rift - Commander Masters (CMM)
Thassa's Intervention - Theros Beyond Death (THB)
Metamorphose - Scourge (SCG)
Flash Counter - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Echoing Truth - Modern Masters (MMA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mission Briefing MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica Promos and Guilds of Ravnica Promos, 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 Mission Briefing and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mission Briefing Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-10-05 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by Matt Stewart.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-10-05Guilds of Ravnica PromosPGRN 44p2015normalblackMatt Stewart
22018-10-05Guilds of Ravnica PromosPGRN 44s2015normalblackMatt Stewart
32018-10-05Guilds of RavnicaGRN 442015normalblackMatt Stewart
42024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 1102015normalblackMatt Stewart

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mission Briefing has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-10-05 If you cast a spell this way and that card is exiled, it’s considered a new object in the zone it’s put into. It won’t be exiled if it’s put into your graveyard later in the turn.
2018-10-05 Mission Briefing doesn’t change when you can cast the chosen card. For example, if you choose a sorcery card, you can cast it only during your main phase when the stack is empty.
2018-10-05 Mission Briefing is still on the stack while you choose an instant or sorcery card in your graveyard. Your Mission Briefing can’t be to give yourself that same Mission Briefing.
2018-10-05 The instant or sorcery card you choose may be one that you just surveilled into your graveyard.
2018-10-05 When you surveil, you may put all the cards you look at back on top of your library, you may put all of those cards into your graveyard, or you may put some of those cards on top and the rest of them into your graveyard.
2018-10-05 You perform the actions stated on a card in sequence. For some spells and abilities, you’ll surveil last. For others, you’ll surveil and then perform other actions.

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