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Counterplay against Inspired Inventor: Counterplay for Artifact Decks

In Modern Horizons 3, white brings a curious shape to the artifact-era battlefield with Inspired Inventor. A clean, budget-friendly 3-mana 2/2 that trades on a deceptively flexible ETB ability, this Human Artificer asks pilots to make a quick, tactical decision the moment it hits the battlefield. The card's text is clean but potent: when Inspired Inventor enters, you choose one of three options — you gain three energy counters, place a +1/+1 counter on a target creature, or create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token. 🧙‍♂️🔥💎 It’s a card that can accelerate an artifact theme, empower a rival board state, or simply provide a cheap body if you’re playing a slower, value-oriented strategy. The result? A card that demands precise timing and thoughtful interaction from opponents. ⚔️🎨

What makes Inspired Inventor tick

At a glance, Inspired Inventor seems almost tame: a 2/2 body for three mana, with a triad of on-entry options. But the power lies in the choice. If you’re playing against an artifact build, the Inventory side of this card can handedly tilt the game. The energy counters option can accelerate power spells later in the game, especially if you’re facing a deck that relies on big, explosive plays. The +1/+1 counter option can bolster a key attacker or blocker, enabling a favorable race or a stalled defense. And the Servo token can crowd the board with colorless bodies, enabling sacrifice strategies or enabling go-wide pressure. In a format where tempo and resource management matter, that trifecta is a real headache for opponents who want to ignore the board and ride card advantage alone. 🧙‍♂️

“On entering the battlefield, the Inventor doesn’t just sit there — it asks you to choose a path, and that choice can snowball into big advantage for an awareness-heavy artifact strategy.” — MTG observer

Counterplay: effective responses you can rely on

• Answer on the stack: Because Inspired Inventor’s ETB triggers on entry, you can answer it in response to the creature’s entry. Casting targeted removal or exile spells on the stack can wipe it away before the trigger resolves, denying any of the three choices and stalling your opponent’s momentum. This is often the cleanest path in faster games where white remains a threat but your hand is full of disruption. 🧭
• Direct removal or bounce: If you don’t have a clean answer on the stack, removing Inspired Inventor after it lands but before the trigger resolves is still viable. A bounce spell can also buy you a turn if you’re short on immediate answers, especially in formats where you’re leaning into control or tempo strategies. The key is to deny the three options and avoid letting the energy counters or Servo tokens compound. 🔄
• Board-wide disruption: In matches where your plan is to outlast or overwhelm with a flood of small threats, clearing the board after Inspired Inventor resolves its ETB helps reset the field. A well-timed wipe, especially one that hits artifacts or creatures, can erase both the Inventor and any Servos it spawned, blunting the tempo—the classic “swing balance” move. ⚔️
• Counterspells and permission: If you’re in a control shell, countering the spell or the entering creature prevents the ETB trigger entirely. This is especially effective in drafts or constructed builds that prioritize tempo and card advantage. A good counterspell on the spell’s way in buys you time to plan your own ramp or removal suite. 🛡️
• Disrupt the synergy, not just the body: If you’re playing in a deck that’s heavy on artifacts and Servo synergies, you can also prepare for the Inventor by including generic artifact hate and disruption. Cards that disable token creation or that retire energy counters in your metagame can blunt its most threatening lines. The goal is to force the Inventor into a path that gives you breathing room. 💎

Deckbuilding angles and practical guidelines

For players facing this card, the simplest practical approach is to tailor your removal and disruption to your deck’s speed and resilience. In faster formats, prioritize cheap, efficient removal or counterspells that can target the Inventor as early as possible. In midrange or control shells, a mix of counterspells and selective artifact hate ensures you don’t crumble to Servo swarms or a sudden energy boost late in the game. And if you’re the kind of player who loves resource juggling, you’ll appreciate how a surge of energy counters from Inspired Inventor might push you toward explosive turns—so plan your own synergy to either accelerate or blunt those bursts. 🧙‍♂️💥

Design-wise, the card fits nicely into modern artifact arcs because it’s color-balanced (white), affordable, and flexible. It creates a tempo pressure without forcing you into a single path. The presence of the Energy Reserve as a related piece opens doors for players who enjoy combo-leaning lines, where extra energy can fuel a multi-step turn that ends with a decisive play. In any case, the Inventor invites a game of balance: pressure your opponent while guarding your life total and strategic resources. 🎲

Why this card matters in the broader landscape

Inspired Inventor, in its humble common frame, mirrors a larger design philosophy in Modern Horizons 3: provide accessible tools that reward smart interaction and can pivot between offense and defense. The card’s ETB choice is a microcosm of MTG’s evolving design space — small decisions with outsized impact. For players who enjoy the tactile thrill of artifact synergies, this card is a tasty puzzle box: how do you minimize its upside while maintaining your own forward momentum? The answer is as much about timing, sequencing, and the mind-game between player and board as it is about raw power. 🧭🧙‍♂️

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