Quick Links
Outlaws Of Thunder Junction introduced the spree mechanic toMagic: The Gathering. This mechanic has multiple cards that impact multiple formats, meaning it is something you will want to get the hang of since you should expect to see cards with spree in your future games.
Spree is a versatile mechanic, letting you use multiple abilities for just one spell. Modal spells (spells with different effects you can choose from) are great for many decks as they let you use different effects depending on the status of the gamestate. Cards with spree can be used both offensively and defensively, and knowing the best time to use them is vital for winning.
What Is Spree?
Spree is a mechanic that has youpayingextra mana to use a variety of effectsdepending on how much mana is paid. All cards with spree have abase mana costin the usual spot you may find them in the top right of the card, witha “plus” signnext to it. This mana value in the corner is what the card’s cost is considered to be.
To use any effect with spree, you willstill have to pay extra mana. Each ability on a card with spree tells you how much extra mana you have to pay next to the ability.
Youonly have to pay the base mana cost once, and can pay as much mana as you want to gain one or more of the abilities on any card with spree. However, youcan only use each ability once. This means you cannot stack the same effect to use it multiple times.
There are details that you need to keep in mind when thinking about how this mechanic works. For example, when you cast multiple effects using spree,they all trigger in order from top to bottom. This means when you cast the spell, you will resolve the effect you paid for closest to the top of the card, ending with the spell closest to the bottom.
Secondly, if you can cast a spell with spree without paying its mana cost,this only applies to the base mana value. You will stillhave to pay the mana for the cost for every spree abilityif you want to use the spell.
Finally, when you copy a spell after paying spree costs, itwill only copy the effectsyou paid for.Youcannot change what effects on the copied spells, but new targets can be chosen instead.
Asa card with spree resolves, no player can use spells or abilities as it does. This means counterspells and any other interaction need to happen when the card with spree is cast, not during the resolution of effects.
How To Use Spree
The biggest benefit of using cards with spree is thatyou do not have to use all of the effects. In fact, some of them aren’t worth using even in Limited format.
When utilizing cards with spree,don’t feel the need to wait to cast it until you can use all the effects on the card. It is more important to use it when it will be most impactful or when the effects will be immediately beneficial.
If your opponent isplaying colors that have access to counterspells, you won’t want to dump all your mana into a card with spree to avoid spending all that mana only to get it countered. Instead, if you need one of the effects,use only a few so you can hold up mana to pay to shut off a potential counterspell, or have mana for other plays.
Best Cards With Spree
Cards with spree tend to veer intotwo categories. Ones that are synergetic to specific strategies and those that are generically powerful.
Lively Dirgeis a card that’s perfect for decks that want creatures in the graveyard. It can be played as a way to get any card into the graveyard or reanimate two separate creatures. It’s seeing use in Greasefang decks in Pioneer as a way to bring back destroyed copies of Greasefang or get vehicles into the graveyard without relying on the randomness of drawing them.
Final Showdownwhile not the best main deck card,is a great sideboard staple.Being able to shut off all creatures' abilities can stop combos dead in their tracks, all for two mana. It’s great in Pioneer against Amalia Combo decks and in Commander in more competitive games where creature-based combos are much more expected.
The ability to make every creature a vanilla creature is great, but every mode on Final Showdown is solid. Protection is always welcomed and can save a creature from the board wipe effect if you choose to do that.Instant-speed board wipes are very rare, making Final Showdown even better thanks to its wide versatility.
Great Train Heist is perfect in aggressive decks, as all of its abilities help push you closer to closing out games in just one swing of attackers while not needing a high mana investment. Great Train Heist isone of the few cards where using all three modes is worth waiting to cast the spell until you can.
Getting both an extra combat and a stat boost stacked on top of Treasure token generation lets this do a lot of effects for a combined seven mana. Most extra combat spells cost about four or five mana to begin with, and Great Train Heist gives you extra effects to go along with it.
