Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Measuring Mana Efficiency and Impact with Cursed Mirror
Magic fans know that mana efficiency isn’t just a math exercise—it’s a philosophy. Cursed Mirror, a rare artifact from Modern Horizons 3 (MH3), is a compact case study in what you get for what you pay. For three mana total (2 generic and 1 red), you gain a steady supply of red mana and, more surprisingly, a potent tempo lever: when it enters the battlefield, you can turn it into a copy of any creature on the battlefield for the rest of the turn—but it gains haste. 🧙🔥💎
Card snapshot: what you’re getting
- Name: Cursed Mirror
- Converted mana cost: 3 (2 generic, 1 red)
- Type: Artifact
- Set: Modern Horizons 3 (MH3) — draft_innovation
- Rarity: Rare
- Colors: Red (color identity: R)
- Oracle text:
{T}: Add {R}. As this artifact enters, you may have it become a copy of any creature on the battlefield until end of turn, except it has haste.
- Legalities (typical formats): Modern legal, Legacy legal, Vintage legal, Commander legal, Historic legal, and more.
In MH3, the art and flavor deeply tie to red’s impulse and mischief. The card’s design marries a cheap mana source with a "play-the-tempo" clone. The result is a flexible tool that rewards careful timing and bold plays. The clone lasts only until end of turn, but the haste it gains means you’re swinging with a flexible beater that otherwise would have taken another turn to materialize. 🎨⚔️
Mana efficiency in practice: the impact ratio
Let’s talk numbers and feel. Casting Cursed Mirror for 3 mana gives you one untapped red mana from its own tap ability, effectively creating a red mana sink that fuels your mid- to late-game spells. In a red-tempo shell, that extra red mana can be the difference between burning your opponent down and watching the game slip away. The real value, though, is the “impact ratio” of the enter-the-battlefield copy. For a single red mana investment, you get the window to clone any creature on the battlefield that turn. If you copy a fearsome attacker, you convert a marginal tempo swing into a surprise alpha strike. If you copy a utility creature with blockers or a good ETB, you gain value that persists for a single turn but can alter the board state dramatically. 🧙🔥💎
The trade-off is worth weighing: the mirror’s own mana ability is renewable every turn, but the copy is a one-turn deal. The key is to align the copy with your current board state and your deck’s exit plan. If you’re racing for burn, you copy a big attacker and push damage that turn; if you’re stabilizing, you copy a blocker or a creature with a temporary effect to blunt a push from your foe. That ratio—one turn of copied tenacity for three mana—defines the card’s place in a red artifact tempo deck. Think of it as a mini-tempo engine that occasionally hands you a surprise bluff or a lethal swing. 🧲🎲
Strategic angles: turning a single card into multiple plays
To maximize the value, you’ll want to leverage two axes: the mana engine and the tempo swing. First, play Cursed Mirror when you’ve already established some board presence or when you anticipate needing a rapid red mana boost in the near term. If you can copy a creature with high power, you force awkward trades and threaten a sudden alpha strike with haste. If you copy a creature with a robust evasive or sweeping ability, you create pressure that’s hard for opponents to parry in a single turn. The haste on the copy is the accelerant—the moment you copy, you’re not simply mirroring; you’re contesting the initiative. ⚔️🎲
Deck builders often pair this artifact with cheap red spells and efficient finishers. Cards that benefit from having a spare red mana handy—burn spells, cheap removal, or instant-speed threats—become more potent when Cursed Mirror turns into a temporary force multiplier. In a mirror-mad metagame, you can also sequence plays to ensure you’ve got a backup plan if the copied creature’s power fades away at end of turn. The lesson is simple: treat Cursed Mirror as a flexible resource that rewards bold tempo plays, not a kicker for a back-end combo. 🧙🔥
Flavor, art, and collector context
David Gaillet’s artwork captures the serpentine allure of red magic and artifact secrecy, a perfect match for a card that weaponizes a borrowed vision of another creature. MH3’s role as a “draft_innovation” set breathes life into familiar mechanics reimagined for newer formats, and Cursed Mirror feels like a bridge between classic clone vibes and red’s impulsive nature. For collectors, the card sits in the rare tier with a modest price footprint, but its utility in casual tables and EDH speaks to lasting value. Current snapshot places non-foil around the mid-dollar range with foils commanding a bit more—an appealing proposition for a rare that often makes its presence felt in the draft and commander circles. 💎🎨
“{T}: Add {R}. As this artifact enters, you may have it become a copy of any creature on the battlefield until end of turn, except it has haste.”
In summary, Cursed Mirror embodies a clean juxtaposition: a straightforward mana engine paired with a clever, situationally explosive tempo tool. Its true strength lies in how you measure the cost against the potential impact on a given board state. When used with intention, this artifact becomes more than its mana cost—it becomes a catalyst for dynamic, dynamic red plays that surprise both friends and foes alike. 🧙🔥💥
If you’re building around red tempo or simply chasing a memorable Modern Horizons 3 pick, consider how Cursed Mirror can slot into your strategy. And while you’re exploring the depths of the multiverse, why not treat yourself to something stylish off the battlefield? The product below isn’t MTG, but it’s the kind of everyday gear that keeps the hobby spinning—a little magic for your everyday carry. 🎲💎