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Whir of Invention

{X}{U}{U}{U}

Instant

SLDSecret Lair Drop#311rare
Borderless

"Magic hat, I'm gonna be frank. What we need now is a twenty-ton tank!"

Finishes
Nonfoil · Foil
Border
borderless
Security stamp
oval
Frame
2015
Illustrator
Tyler Walpole
CommanderLegalModernLegalStandardNot legal
Format legality

Constructed

StandardNot legal
PioneerLegal
ModernLegal
LegacyLegal
VintageLegal
PauperNot legal

Commander

CommanderLegal
Pauper CommanderNot legal
Duel CommanderLegal
PreDHNot legal
OathbreakerLegal
Tiny LeadersLegal

Arena

AlchemyNot legal
HistoricLegal
TimelessLegal
BrawlLegal
Standard BrawlNot legal
Competitive BrawlLegal
GladiatorLegal

Other

PremodernNot legal
Old SchoolNot legal
Penny DreadfulLegal
Future StandardNot legal
Improvise (Your artifacts can help cast this spell. Each artifact you tap after you're done activating mana abilities pays for {1}.) Search your library for an artifact card with mana value X or less, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
Improvise
Plays as:
Artifact TutorTutorDiscounted SpellCheat Into PlayX Spell
Market · per finishtrend updated 6h ago · prices as of Oct 15, 2026
$7.55 low$1.55 gap
$8.47 low$0.47 gap
Cheapest playable copy$5.27· across 7 printings· view the cheapest printing ›

Price history

last 30 days · set by the window above · each finish on its own scale
Nonfoil$9.30+2.3%30D
30D range$8.97to$9.36Since Feb 2024:H $13.50L $5.33
Foil$11.06+11.0%30D1.19× nonfoil
30D range$9.96to$11.08Since Feb 2024:H $15.06L $5.93

Other printings

7 totalCompare all printings
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Found in

2 productsRounded odds
  • Secret Lair Drop Saturday Morning DandD

    Box Set · $45.18

    Nonfoil 1+ copiesFoil —
  • Secret Lair Drop Saturday Morning DandD Foil

    Box Set · $48.83

    Nonfoil —Foil 1+ copies

Rulings

9 · latest Feb 9, 2017
  • WotCFeb 9, 2017

    Because improvise isn't an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs.

  • WotCFeb 9, 2017

    Equipment attached to a creature doesn't become tapped when that creature becomes tapped, and tapping that Equipment doesn't cause the creature to become tapped.

  • WotCFeb 9, 2017

    If an artifact you control has a mana ability with {T} in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with improvise will result in the artifact being tapped when you pay the spell's costs. You won't be able to tap it again for improvise. Similarly, if you sacrifice an artifact to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with improvise, that artifact won't be on the battlefield when you pay the spell's costs, so you won't be able to tap it for improvise.

  • WotCFeb 9, 2017

    Improvise can't be used to pay for anything other than the cost of casting the spell. For example, it can't be used during the resolution of an ability that says "Counter target spell unless its controller pays {3}."

  • WotCFeb 9, 2017

    Improvise can't pay for {W}, {U}, {B}, {R}, {G}, or {C} mana symbols in a spell's total cost.

  • WotCFeb 9, 2017

    Improvise doesn't change a spell's mana cost or mana value.

  • WotCFeb 9, 2017

    Tapping an artifact won't cause its abilities to stop applying unless those abilities say so.

  • WotCFeb 9, 2017

    When calculating a spell's total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Improvise applies after the total cost is calculated.

  • WotCFeb 9, 2017

    When using improvise to cast a spell with {X} in its mana cost, first choose the value for X. That choice, plus any cost increases or decreases, will determine the spell's total cost. Then you can tap artifacts you control to help pay that cost. For example, if you cast Whir of Invention (a spell with improvise and mana cost {X}{U}{U}{U}) and choose X to be 3, the total cost is {3}{U}{U}{U}. If you tap two artifacts, you'll have to pay {1}{U}{U}{U}.