Top 10 Best Adventure Cards In MTG

Adventure was a popular, often powerful, and overall successful mechanic since it was first introduced in Throne of Eldraine. Now, with our recent return to the plane with Wilds of Eldraine, we've got another batch of adventure cards coming to the game, which is exciting. As with any mechanic, though, some are better than others. Today, I want to cover the best adventure cards in MTG with a top 10 list.

We'll review the most impactful cards with adventure, what makes them so good, the decks where they see play, and what formats I recommend you play them in. So, without further ado, let's jump into the best adventure cards MTG offers.

The Best Adventure Cards In Magic: The Gathering

10. Order of Midnight // Alter Fate

Order of Midnight isn't the most popular adventure card in the game, but it's a versatile inclusion for reanimation decks with Knight synergies. The adventure portion, Alter Fate, doesn't bring a creature back directly to the battlefield, but the hand is good enough for two mana - Especially when you consider that you have access to a 2/2 with flying after you've cast it.

Some examples of where this card shines include Haakon, Stromgald Scourge, Aryel, Knight of Windgrace, Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir, Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale, and many others in commander. If you're playing Knights in EDH and you can about your graveyard (and maybe even if you don't), you'll probably want to include a copy in your build.

9. Lovestruck Beast // Heart's Desire

Three mana for a 5/5 is a hell of a deal. Of course, there is one small catch - It can't attack or block unless you control a 1/1. Luckily, the adventure part of the card gives you just that. You can see how this works, and it's a cool concept for the card's beauty & the beast theme. While supporting itself is nice, you often don't need Heart's Desire to get the beast attacking.

If you play mana dorks like Llanowar Elves and Elvish Mystic, you can count on having a 1/1 without the adventure. What's more, mana dorks also ramp you into the creature, and you can easily have your 5/5 as early as turn two. The only downside is that if/when your mana dork gets removed, you also stand to lose your biggest attacker.

Considering Steel Leaf Champion is legal in all the same formats, it's hard not to argue you should be playing it instead, considering you don't have to jump through any hoops, and it can't simply be chump-blocked by small creatures. However, if your deck can't support the triple green casting cost, has payoffs for playing adventures, or has other uses for the 1/1 token, this could get the nod.

8. Fae of Wishes // Granted

Fae of Wishes is a cool card. The adventure portion, "Granted," allows you to find a card you own from outside of the game (usually your sideboard) and put it into your hand. Basically, "I wish I had my Tormod's Crypt." and then voila - Wish granted. There are other similar cards that this effect is a nod to as well, such as Burning Wish, Cunning Wish, and Glittering Wish. And Mastermind's Acquisition and the minus ability of Karn, the Great Creator are notable mentions as well.

The spell portion is the one that people are mainly after when they play this card, but a 1/4 flyer that can be brought back from your graveyard to your hand is nothing to scoff at. If you manage to recur it, you can use the spell portion again, too, which is cool.

In my experience, Fae of Wishes is at its best in Pioneer. It's a prominent tool in Lotus Field combo decks in the format where it usually fetches the decks wincons Approach of the Second Sun or Omniscience. That said, this is a fun card to mess around with if you're a janky brewer. Any deck looking to run a toolbox-style strategy with the sideboard could also use it.

If you're curious, here are the rules for how cards like this work in Commander. Technically, there are no sideboards in EDH, so cards that use them don't work. However, it's a casual format, and many playgroups will allow the inclusion of a "wishboard," which is usually a single card you can wish for.

7. Giant Killer // Chop Down

Giant Killer has two major things going for it. First, it's a removal spell. Chop Down can take down creatures with a power of four or greater. For three mana, that's not the greatest rate in the world, but there are plenty of targets in multiple formats, and finding ways to get more interaction into your decks is always good.

The next big upside is that the creature portion has a valuable sub-type. Humans are a popular tribe, and there are a ton of payoffs for playing them, including Coppercoat Vanguard, Thalia's Lieutenant, Champion of the Parish, and many more. Beyond that, Giant Killer is an ok-stated creature with a functional activated ability for only one mana.

So, when and where should you be slotting this into your deck? Well, if you're playing humans in any format where it's legal, it's a good option. Beyond that, it can be good anytime you want a high number of creatures in your deck. Let's say you're playing Collected Company. Having a hard removal spell on a body is very useful.

You'll find this in Boros Convoke, G/W Angels, Abzan Adventures, Jeskai Hinata, and occasionally Greasefang decks in Pioneer—as well as 5-color Omnath and Samwise combo in Modern.

6. Mosswood Dreadknight // Dread Whispers

This is one of the brand-new adventure cards from WOE that's seeing quite a bit of play. Simply put, it's a repeatable source of card draw on a 3/2 body, with trample. What's not to like? Each side is only two mana, which is a good rate for each effect. The only catch is that you've got to have the extra mana to recast the adventure portion the turn the creature portion dies.

It's only been out for about a week, and it's seeing play in many Standard and Pioneer midrange decks. It's perfect for gringy Golgari, and Jund builds and sacrifice decks that can get additional value from sacring the Dreadknight. It even pulls enough weight to be playable in Modern decks if you're looking for new tech for your G/B rock builds.

5. Beanstalk Giant // Fertile Footsteps

Putting extra land onto the battlefield, aka ramping, is one of the most powerful things you can do in MTG, especially in commander. More lands mean casting more spells and being ahead of schedule on your mana allows you to cast more powerful spells before your opponents. Fertile Footsteps gives you that. As with most adventures, it's not the best rate in the game for the effect, but it's not bad, either. And it's only half the card.

After you get your extra basic land, you'll tuck Beanstalk Giant into exile, where you can cast it later. It's seven mana, and how big it is in terms of power and toughness scales with the number of lands you control. So, the land from Fertile Footsteps helps you get up to seven mana faster and makes the creature bigger. If you make all your land drops (or drop extras), you can reliably have a 7/7 or 8/8 in your back pocket.

Given how common ramp spells like this are in EDH, there is a minimal downside to slotting this into most decks with access to green. And you can rest assured you'll always have a beefy threat to cast with all those lands you worked so hard getting into play. If you've never tried the card, I recommend trying it in Commander.

4. Virtue of Persistence // Locthwain Scorn

Here we have another new card from Wilds of Eldraine, proving quite good in Standard. Both halves of the card have a ton of play and will always make themselves felt in a game. The -3/-3 from Locthwain Scorn is enough to take down most of the one, two, and three mana creatures in the format.

And if you can cast it after a careless block by an opponent, even remove a Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. The two life on top of the removal is just a cherry on top and can be big in life gain decks with Gumdrop Poisoner. You'll have no problem finding a good target for this.

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Then, later in the game, you can cast the enchantment portion and start reanimating threats directly to the battlefield. In my experience, players usually go after copies of Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, and getting even a single creature back with this is great value. And if it sticks around and you get several triggers, the card's overall weight is tremendous.

The floor is great, and the ceiling is high. How much play this will see once it rotates out of Standard remains to be seen, but as of now, it's one of the best adventure cards in MTG.

3. Murderous Rider // Swift End

Perhaps you've noticed a trend by now - Removal spells attached to creatures are good. You're getting more interaction and more bodies in your deck while using fewer slots. You can't beat having offense and defense wrapped up in one neat package. And that's exactly what you get with Murderous Rider.

Swift End is not your "slightly below average" removal spell often found on adventures. It answers any creature, no matter how big, and Planeswalkers too! All at instant speed. It'll cost you two life, of course, but that's a small price to pay for removing the best attacker on the board.

Murderous Rider is no slouch either. Three mana for a 2/3 with lifelink is a good deal, especially with a Hero's Downfall attached. It also has two relevant creature types - Zombies and Knights. There is a multitude of payoffs for both tribes and things like Diregraf Captain, Wayward Servant, Undead Augur, Vodalian Wave-Knight, Knights' Charge, and Exsanguinator Cavalry help the rider shine even brighter.

I recommend this for anyone playing Zombies or Knights in Commander. And honestly, any more casual decks playing black as well. Outside of Commander, I like to use this in Pioneer as well.

2. Bonecrusher Giant // Stomp

Continuing the abovementioned theme, Stomp is a cheap, quality removal (or burn) spell, and Bonecrusher Giant is a hard-hitting, resilient threat. Not only does Stomp give you two damage to use however you see fit, but it also stops damage from being prevented. And considering you can target opponents with the damage, you can rest assured this will never be a dead card.

Bonecrusher exceeds expectations in nearly every department. A four-power and three-toughness body can be a problem if left unanswered. And even if they deal with it quickly, they'll likely take an additional two damage for targeting it. In my experience, Bonecrusher typically deals at least four damage: Two from the stomp and two when they remove it.

If you manage to get through with an attack or two, you're looking at somewhere between eight and 12 damage from a single copy. Bonecrusher sees extensive play in Pioneer in various Rakdos decks, as well as Gruul, Boros, and Mono-Red. If you play Pioneer and have mountains in your deck, you'll want this. And if your creatures can't survive the two damage (called the "Bonecrusher Test," they'll be in for a rough night at the office.

It's even good enough to see play in more powerful formats. For example, Modern Cascade decks and quite a few Legacy decks (like Mono-Red Prison) also run it.

1. Brazen Borrower // Petty Theft

Want to know how you can tell Brazen Borrower is the best adventure spell in MTG and an overall great card? It sees extensive play in every format where it’s legal. There's no clearer indication a card is sound than that. What makes it so good? Well, a lot. The “adventure” portion, Petty Theft, is a highly efficient removal spell – Two mana to bounce any nonland permanent at instant speed is a very easy answer to many problems.

An Echoing Truth type effect is good; the fact that it’s attached to a creature makes it great. Having a way to deal with a problematic permanent when you need to and a creature to threaten life totals with when you don’t is phenomenal. That's what makes adventure cards good: you don’t have to choose one or the other – You can bounce something and always have a 3/1 flyer in your back pocket for later.

The cherry on top of this already powerful card is the flash. You can hold up mana to bounce something, and if there's nothing significant enough, you can just cast the creature portion on the opposing end step. Not only does this let you use your mana very efficiently, but it's also a pseudo-hasty attacker or a surprise blocker in combat.

As mentioned, it sees play everywhere it's legal. So, look no further if you're in the market for either half of the card in Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, or Commander.

Conclusion

There you have it, my friends, my top 10 picks for the best adventure cards in Magic: The Gathering. The mechanic is powerful thanks to its versatility and the options it gives you as a deck builder. I hope we'll see it come to other planes where it fits mechanically. I also hope you've enjoyed my list and found it useful in finding the right adventure spells for your builds. If so, comment and let me know. Until next time, get out there and play some MTG.