Mages' Contest
Invasion 154 • rare
- Set
- Invasion
- Collector number
- 154
- Rarity
- Rare
- Mana cost
- 1 generic mana red mana red mana
- Type
- Instant
- Colors
- Red
- Artist
- Bradley Williams
- Market price
- $15.40
What it does
You and target spell's controller bid life. You start the bidding with a bid of 1. In turn order, each player may top the high bid. The bidding ends if the high bid stands. The high bidder loses life equal to the high bid. If you win the bidding, counter that spell.
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernNot legal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperNot legal
- BrawlNot legal
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- Penny DreadfulNot legal
- OathbreakerLegal
Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Card text via Scryfall. Not approved or endorsed by Wizards. As of the last catalogue refresh.
Where to find one
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Where it came from
Mages' Contest was released in the 2000 Invasion expansion for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. Set during the lore-heavy conflict between the forces of Dominaria and the invading Phyrexians, the card belongs to a cycle of red cards that emphasize chaos and risk-taking. Its mechanics reflect the high-stakes, argumentative nature of wizard duels by forcing players to bid life totals to resolve a spell, a design choice intended to capture the flavor of volatile magical confrontation.
The artwork was illustrated by rk post, a prominent figure in the Magic community known for his distinct, expressive style. Post utilized bold compositions to visually represent the competitive tension of a magical wager. Upon its release, the card gained a reputation as a niche cult favorite among casual players who enjoyed the unpredictability and table-side banter it encouraged, even if its high mana cost and situational nature kept it out of top-tier competitive play.
Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI
Who's collecting this
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About Mages' Contest
Mages' Contest is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Invasion 154 • rare. Catalog data is sourced from Scryfall. No public cards collectors track this one yet — adding yours would make you the first on collecto.rs.
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