Impulse MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 15 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Impulse offers card advantage by presenting more selections from the top of your library, enhancing strategic gameplay.
  2. It’s an instant, providing flexibility and surprise, allowing for tactical plays within your opponent’s turn.
  3. Despite its merits, Impulse’s specific blue mana requirements and discard trade-offs may restrict its deck compatibility.

Text of card

Look at the top four cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library. Shuffle your library afterwards.

"Controlling time ensures you need never look impulsive again." —Teferi


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Impulse MTG card allows players to delve into the top four cards of their library, choosing one to put into their hand, effectively providing a useful card advantage strategy by increasing options during a game.

Resource Acceleration: Although impulse MTG doesn’t directly accelerate resources such as mana or treasure tokens, it does accelerate access to these resources by sifting through the top cards in your library faster. Access to potentially resource-generating cards quicker can tilt the game in your favor.

Instant Speed: The spontaneity and versatility of the Impulse MTG card are what endears it to many players. Being an instant card, it allows players to hold onto it until precisely the opportune moment within an opponent’s turn. This unpredictability keeps opponents on their toes and provides strategical depth to gameplay.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Impulse, though effective in delivering short-term card potential, often needs you to throw away a beneficial card. This downside is noticeable if you’re limited on resources, making it a critical decision that could turn the tides against you.

Specific Mana Cost: Most intriguingly, Impulse requires a specific blue mana to cast. This specific mana demand might constrain its flexibility, perhaps making it more suitable for mono-blue or multi-color decks that heavily favor blue mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite bringing an element of card choice to the table, Impulse rings up at two mana. Numerous other options may provide more efficient card draw or resource management at a similar or lesser mana cost. Therefore, it’s crucial to consider all alternatives when integrating Impulse into your deck.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Impulse is a game-changing card that integrates effectively into a sundry of decks, particularly those that exploit card selection utilities. Its sturdy dynamic allows for greater strategic control and decision-making in gameplay.

Combo Potential: With Impulse, there’s immense opportunity for intricate play combinations. By having the liberty to review the top four cards of your library, Impulse markedly boosts the prospect of playing your next powerful combos by sleuthing through your deck’s resources.

Meta-Relevance: In a metagame teeming with aggressive deck strategies, the card advantage conferred by Impulse can steer the tide in your favor. By providing a rapid review of your deck, it moves you steps closer to your winning strategy at a reasonable casting cost.


How to beat

Impulse is a popular card in MTG that gives players an upper hand by looking at the top four cards of their library and putting one of them into their hand. It gives players a chance to plan their moves and make their decks run smoother. But how do you beat this card?

One straightforward method is to use deck manipulation spells. Spells like Thought Scour and Telepathy can disrupt the player’s draw mechanics, messing with their selection. You can also use counterspells such as Cancel or Negate which prevent the use of Impulse itself. Alternatively, discard spells like Duress can force the Impulse card to be discarded from the opponent’s hand before they have the chance to use it.

Thumb through your deck for cards with the exiling effect like Scavenging Ooze and Dauthi Warlord. These can exile the Impulse card from your opponent’s graveyard, diminishing its potential advantage. As you dive deeper into MTG strategies, you’ll find out that dealing with Impulse is about disruption and play anticipation.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’ve appreciated the insights on Impulse and its role in the MTG realm, consider infusing your deck with its strategic leverage. This card works wonders for those seeking to fine-tune their plays and sift through their deck with precision. While weighing its pros and cons, reflect on how it meshes with your existing strategies to enhance performance. MTG is an evolving battlefield, and equipping yourself with the right cards can pivot your game plan towards success. Looking for more ways to gain the upper hand or curious about how Impulse can catapult your deck’s efficiency? Connect with us to delve deeper and harness the full potential of your MTG collection.


Cards like Impulse

The spell card Impulse has carved its path among the instant-speed card selection spells in MTG. Sharing its category with spells like Anticipate, which lets you look at three cards from your library and put one into your hand, Impulse stands out for its ability to check the top four cards which offers deeper deck scanning.

However, we have Brainstorm, a spell card that employs a different tactic of drawing three cards and putting two from your hand on top of your library. Although it provides a faster card draw, it’s not as thorough in deck scanning as Impulse. And let’s not forget Ponder! Another card that allows you to look at the top three cards, rearrange them, and either draw one or shuffle your deck, highlighting the versatility of Impulse.

When we weigh the advantages and study the value of various card selection spells, Impulse excels due to its ability to focus your deck manipulation, giving control over what you draw next while keeping the game tempo fast and efficient. In bustling MTG games, this kind of card advantage could dictate the difference between victory and defeat.

Anticipate - MTG Card versions
Brainstorm - MTG Card versions
Ponder - MTG Card versions
Anticipate - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)
Brainstorm - Ice Age (ICE)
Ponder - Lorwyn (LRW)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Impulse MTG card by a specific set like Visions and World Championship Decks 1997, 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 Impulse and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Impulse Magic the Gathering card was released in 14 different sets between 1997-02-03 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11997-02-03VisionsVIS 341997normalblackBryan Talbot
21997-08-13World Championship Decks 1997WC97 jk341997normalgoldBryan Talbot
31998-08-12World Championship Decks 1998WC98 rb341997normalgoldBryan Talbot
42000-10-01Beatdown Box SetBTD 101997normalwhiteBryan Talbot
52001-01-01Friday Night Magic 2001F01 111997normalblackBryan Talbot
62002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 360061997normalblackBryan Talbot
72013-08-23From the Vault: TwentyV13 52003normalblackIzzy
82014-09-05Duel Decks: Speed vs. CunningDDN 632015normalblackIzzy
92018-06-08BattlebondBBD 1192015normalblackIzzy
102019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 4042015normalblackIzzy
112020-09-26The ListPLST BBD-1192015normalblackIzzy
122022-09-09Dominaria UnitedDMU 552015normalblackSam Guay
132022-10-14Game Night: Free-for-AllGN3 302015normalblackIzzy
142023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 562015normalblackSam Guay
152023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 2871997normalblackSam Guay

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Impulse has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PredhLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 Due to errata, you no longer shuffle your library.
2004-10-04 This is not a draw.

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