Might Beyond Reason: Tributes to Early MTG History

In TCG ·

Might Beyond Reason card art from Shadows over Innistrad

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Might Beyond Reason: A Green Instant That Melds Delirium with Growth

When we peek back at the early heartbeat of Magic’s modern era, green has always been the color of inevitability: growth, resilience, and the stubborn joy of turning a moment around with something bigger than the last. Might Beyond Reason, a blue-green moment from Shadows over Innistrad, embodies that spirit with a twist that fans of old-school MTG lore will recognize: a simple, clean effect that scales with the board state. This green instant—costing 3G for a 4-mana spell—pays homage to the era of straightforward pump and board-centric play while wearing Delirium as its modern cloaking. 🧙‍♂️🔥

“Delirium? It’s like a quiet invitation to the graveyard party—a little counter addition here, a big growth surge there, depending on what you’ve buried.”

On the surface, Might Beyond Reason simply says: “Put two +1/+1 counters on target creature.” Not flashy by modern standards, but the card’s true flavor emerges when you consider the Delirium threshold—the condition that makes this spell snap from a decent pump into a potential game-changer. If four or more card types are present among the cards in your graveyard, you get to boost that creature with three +1/+1 counters instead. From a flavor perspective, that Delirium trigger feels like a nod to Innistrad’s multi-genre horror—an evolving, graveyard-centric mechanic that urges you to think not just about what’s in play, but what’s already fallen out of the living story. ⚔️🎨

Strategically, Might Beyond Reason shines in decks that flirt with the graveyard and value each incremental swing. Early MTG history celebrated “the long game” more than flashy combos; this card captures that ethos: stabilize your board, push a big threat forward, and reward thoughtful play when you’ve diversified your graveyard with multiple card types. If you’ve stocked your graveyard with instant, sorcery, creature, enchantment, land, and artifact cards, you unlock a heftier threat with a single cast. For players who enjoy building around Delirium—whether in Pioneer, Modern, or even Historic niche corners in casual play—Might Beyond Reason offers a reliable, accessible punch that pairs nicely with other green spells that either fill or fill your yard. 🧙‍♂️💎

The art, courtesy of Craig J Spearing, captures Innistrad’s moody twilight with a sense of restrained power. It’s not the hyper-dynamic action shot you see in some newer sets, but that’s precisely the point: this is a card that rewards attention to the board’s evolving state. The image’s quiet intensity mirrors the card’s tempo—a lot can hinge on that glint of green turning into a thick, growth-laden wall of power. It’s a reminder that MTG’s history isn’t just about big, flashy moments; it’s about the subtle, almost ritualistic growth that happens as you set up the future turns. This design philosophy—where a simple instant can become a catalyst for a later, more elaborate plan—feels like a love letter to the set’s vintage roots. 🧩🧙‍♂️

From a collector perspective, Might Beyond Reason doesn’t scream rarity, but it carries the charm of a common card with foil options and the occasional collectible glow. Its Foil finish is a reminder that even everyday spells can land with a sense of ceremony when the light catches them just right. The card’s value isn’t in the price tag; it’s in its role as a dependable piece of a Delirium puzzle and as a friendly entry point for newer players who want to explore midrange green strategies without breaking the bank. In a practice room or on a kitchen table, that accessibility has its own kind of magic. 🧲💎

For fans tracing the through-line of MTG’s history, Might Beyond Reason feels like a small, thoughtful bridge between the earlier days of “greedily ramp and smash” and the modern era’s deeper graveyard mechanics. It’s a reminder that the game’s roots are still visible in today’s cards—just with a more refined lens. The Delirium condition is a clever homage to the era’s habit of layering mechanics, where the graveyard ceased to be merely a discard pile and became a resource that could alter the course of a match. The card’s green core—growth, sturdiness, and resilience—remains timeless, and the slight turbocharge from Delirium is the perfect wink to players who love to mine the past for design inspiration. 🧙‍♂️🔥

As you revisit the lore of early MTG history through Might Beyond Reason, you’ll notice how the set’s flavor—Shadows over Innistrad—blends Gothic mood with a modern mechanical twist. It’s a microcosm of the broader MTG journey: a game that constantly revisits its past, reinterprets it through contemporary lenses, and then offers a fresh way to use the old ideas on the battlefield. If you’re building a Delirium-focused green shell, this instant stands out as a reliable and thematically coherent piece—a small but meaningful piece of the broader puzzle. And if you’re feeling nostalgic for those earlier days when green felt like a slow-but-sure river of growth, Might Beyond Reason is a friendly reminder that the game’s heart has always beaten with nature’s relentless rhythm. 🎲🧙‍♂️

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Might Beyond Reason

Might Beyond Reason

{3}{G}
Instant

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.

ID: 5a274689-82f1-488a-baf8-cd8ef3477b72

Oracle ID: 563a8e37-b90e-4ea1-9366-8502b403e13e

Multiverse IDs: 409979

TCGPlayer ID: 116424

Cardmarket ID: 289208

Colors: G

Color Identity: G

Keywords: Delirium

Rarity: Common

Released: 2016-04-08

Artist: Craig J Spearing

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 24749

Set: Shadows over Innistrad (soi)

Collector #: 217

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — not_legal
  • Timeless — not_legal
  • Gladiator — not_legal
  • Pioneer — legal
  • Modern — legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — not_legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — not_legal

Prices

  • USD: 0.02
  • USD_FOIL: 0.25
  • EUR: 0.02
  • EUR_FOIL: 0.18
  • TIX: 0.04
Last updated: 2025-11-15