Might Beyond Reason MTG Card


Might Beyond Reason - Shadows over Innistrad
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Delirium
Released2016-04-08
Set symbol
Set nameShadows over Innistrad
Set codeSOI
Number217
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byCraig J Spearing

Key Takeaways

  1. Enhances creatures substantially, potentially tipping board control in your favor with well-timed play.
  2. Delirium activated speeds up victory with extra counters, maximizing resource efficiency.
  3. Instant speed allows disruptive play during combat, leading to favorable outcomes.

Text of card

Put two +1/+1 counters on target creature. Delirium — Put three +1/+1 counters on that creature instead if there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Enhances one creature significantly, making it a formidable threat on the board. This can often lead to gaining a card advantage as your strengthened creature contends with multiple of an opponent’s creatures over time.

Resource Acceleration: With delirium activated, not only do you bolster one of your creatures, but you also place three +1/+1 counters instead of two. This enhances your resource investment by improving your creature’s stats beyond the initial investment, resulting in a quicker path to victory.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Might Beyond Reason at instant speed gives you the flexibility to surprise an opponent during combat, which can shift the game in your favor by disrupting their strategy and potentially leading to more advantageous trades or direct damage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Might Beyond Reason is the need to discard a card to utilize its delirium ability. This requirement can put players at a disadvantage, especially when the game hinges on maintaining a full grip of strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: The card’s casting cost demands both generic and green mana, which may not align seamlessly with multicolored or colorless deck strategies. This specific mana requirement can sometimes restrict its inclusion only to green-centric decks, reducing its overall flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the ability to put two or four +1/+1 counters on a target creature is appealing, the four mana cost to cast Might Beyond Reason is relatively high. In cases where the battlefield is rapidly evolving, players might prefer spells that have a more immediate impact for the same or lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Might Beyond Reason is a dynamic addition to any deck that capitalizes on +1/+1 counters. Its ability to instantly beef up a creature makes it a strong choice for both aggressive and midrange strategies.

Combo Potential: This card can be combined with proliferate mechanics or used to empower creatures with abilities triggered by counters, making it an unexpected force multiplier on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: Given its instant-speed, Might Beyond Reason can be a sneaky way to turn the tide against decks that rely on combat tricks or removal spells, keeping your key creatures in play and swinging the momentum in your favor.


How to beat

Might Beyond Reason is a unique instant card that can quickly turn the tide of a battle in MTG. It bolsters a single creature with two +1/+1 counters, or four if you have Delirium – making even the most unassuming creature a formidable threat. This power boost at instant speed allows players to not only enhance their attacking force but also to create surprises during defense, potentially disrupting an opponent’s strategy.

To counter this spell, keeping up mana for counterspells like Negate or Disdainful Stroke can be effective since they can prevent Might Beyond Reason from resolving in the first place. Additionally, playing with creature removal like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can help by eliminating the threat before counters are placed, leaving your opponent’s efforts for naught. In a broader sense, maintaining board control with regular sweepers, such as Wrath of God, helps ensure that your opponent’s creatures don’t become too overwhelming, regardless of any instants they may have at their disposal.

Understanding the potential power spikes of an opponent’s creatures, especially in a Delirium-enabled deck, will guide your decision-making process. Proper timing and strategic removal are key to overcoming the boosts provided by Might Beyond Reason, securing your position on the battlefield.


Cards like Might Beyond Reason

Might Beyond Reason finds its niche in the repertoire of creature enhancement spells in the realm of Magic: The Gathering. It carries the essence of boosting a creature’s power and toughness, much like Giant Growth, a staple in many green decks. Giant Growth offers an instant boost of +3/+3, but only until the end of turn, which contrasts with Might Beyond Reason’s permanent counters.

Comparing it to another strengthening card, Titanic Growth, the latter provides an immediate and hefty increase of +4/+4 but, again, on a temporary basis. Might Beyond Reason differentiates itself with the delirium mechanic, granting two additional +1/+1 counters when there are four or more card types in your graveyard, thus solidifying a long-lasting effect that can potentially turn the tides of a game.

Lastly, an analysis alongside a card like Larger Than Life might be pertinent. This card temporarily boosts a creature and grants trample, a key advantage in ensuring damage overflows to an opponent. While it gives a creature a strong momentary edge, Might Beyond Reason specializes in progressive board development. Permanent buffs provide strategic depth, especially in drawn-out matches.

Giant Growth - MTG Card versions
Titanic Growth - MTG Card versions
Larger Than Life - MTG Card versions
Giant Growth - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Titanic Growth - Magic 2012 (M12)
Larger Than Life - Kaladesh (KLD)

Cards similar to Might Beyond Reason by color, type and mana cost

Storm Seeker - MTG Card versions
Trailblazer - MTG Card versions
Venomous Breath - MTG Card versions
Fanatical Fever - MTG Card versions
Lure of Prey - MTG Card versions
Snag - MTG Card versions
Might of Oaks - MTG Card versions
Elephant Ambush - MTG Card versions
Sudden Strength - MTG Card versions
Kamahl's Will - MTG Card versions
Dragonscale Boon - MTG Card versions
Force of Vigor - MTG Card versions
Garenbrig Carver // Shield's Might - MTG Card versions
Bloodscent - MTG Card versions
Mystic Melting - MTG Card versions
Stonewood Invocation - MTG Card versions
Heal the Scars - MTG Card versions
Gloomwidow's Feast - MTG Card versions
Slingbow Trap - MTG Card versions
Momentous Fall - MTG Card versions
Storm Seeker - Masters Edition (ME1)
Trailblazer - Ice Age (ICE)
Venomous Breath - Ice Age (ICE)
Fanatical Fever - Ice Age (ICE)
Lure of Prey - Mirage (MIR)
Snag - Prophecy (PCY)
Might of Oaks - Magic 2010 (M10)
Elephant Ambush - Odyssey (ODY)
Sudden Strength - Judgment (JUD)
Kamahl's Will - Commander Legends (CMR)
Dragonscale Boon - The List (PLST)
Force of Vigor - Modern Horizons 1 Timeshifts (H1R)
Garenbrig Carver // Shield's Might - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Bloodscent - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Mystic Melting - Coldsnap (CSP)
Stonewood Invocation - Time Spiral (TSP)
Heal the Scars - Lorwyn (LRW)
Gloomwidow's Feast - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Slingbow Trap - Worldwake (WWK)
Momentous Fall - Jumpstart (JMP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Might Beyond Reason MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad, 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 Might Beyond Reason and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Might Beyond Reason has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2016-04-08 Because you consider only the characteristics of a double-faced card’s front face while it’s not on the battlefield, the types of its back face won’t be counted for delirium.
2016-04-08 In some rare cases, you can have a token or a copy of a spell in your graveyard at the moment that an object’s delirium ability counts the card types among cards in your graveyard, before that token or copy ceases to exist. Because tokens and copies of spells are not cards, even if they are copies of cards, their types will never be counted.
2016-04-08 Some delirium abilities that appear on instants and sorceries use the word “instead.” These spells have an upgraded effect when they resolve if there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard. They check that number only while they’re resolving and don’t count themselves, since they aren’t in your graveyard yet. You only get the upgraded effect, not both effects.
2016-04-08 The card types in Magic are artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, sorcery, and tribal (a card type that appears on some older cards). Supertypes (such as legendary and basic) and subtypes (such as Human and Equipment) are not counted.
2016-04-08 The number of card types matters, not the number of cards. For example, Wicker Witch (an artifact creature) along with Catalog (an instant) and Chaplain’s Blessing (a sorcery) will enable delirium.

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