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If you’ve only just started playingMagic: The Gathering, thenoverloadmight seem like a very small mechanic in a very big game. However, if you enjoy playing Modern and Commander, you’ll come across it on a regular basis, thanks to its cost-effectiveness, versatility, and potentially game-changing power.
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It’s easy to see why overload is such a well-liked mechanic, giving instants and sorceries an extra kick by making their effects cover a wide area. So in this guide, we’ll go over what overload is, how you can get the most out of it, and how many cards have this ability.
What Is Overload?
If a card has overload, then instead of paying the usual casting cost,you can pay its overload cost. If you do, any mention of ‘target’ in the spell’s text is changed to‘each’.
Simply put, if a card has the overload ability and you choose to pay it,the card will now affect every relevant permanent instead of one specifically.
Overload doesn’t change the speed of the card — meaning sorceries likeMizzium Mortarswould remain a sorcery when they’re overloaded. Plus, the converted mana cost of a spell is still the value in the top-right of the card and is not replaced by the overload cost.
The converted mana cost staying the same is both a blessing and a curse. For everyDisdainful Strokeyou avoid, that counters a spell with a mana value of four or greater; there is aMental Misstepthat counters your one mana cost spells.
Also, if something forces you to pay more or less to cast a spell,that effect applies to the overload cost too. Let’s say you want to cast an overloadedCounterfluxbut your opponent hasGrand Arbiter Augustin IVin play — which makes an opponent’s spells cost one-generic more. This means the new overload cost would be two-generic, two-blue, and one-red — increased from one-generic.
In the scenario above, if you controlled Grand Arbiter Augustin IV and played Counterflux,the spell would cost the same to cast normally or overloaded, since Augustin reduces the blue spell costs you cast by one generic.
Lastly, if you’re going to cast a spell without paying its mana cost such as withMind’s Dilation, you may’t use the overload ability and it must be played as the rules text reads normally.
How To Use Overload
Overload has a lot of benefits. First, getting to choose between small impact, small cost, and large impact, large cost within one card gives you amazing flexibility.
For example, let’s say your opponent has a giant attacking creature and your only cards in hand are board wipes (not a common problem, but not rare either). CastingAetherizeat four converted mana cost is very overkill,but with Cyclonic Rift, you can just pay the normal one-generic, one-blue cost to deal with the problem instead.
Secondly, because paying the overload cost means the spell has no specific targets, it can get around cards withhexproof, shroud, and protection.
Protection from a colour will still prevent damage from a card with that same colour, even if you overload it.
Ultimately, overload is perfect for getting yourself out of a tight spot or making that last push for victory. The best way to use overload is to find the card that works mechanically with your deck.
TakeMind Rake, a two-generic one-black sorcery that forces a target player to discard two cards, but costs one generic less to overload it — meaning everyone would discard two, including you. This is wheredecks that play from the graveyard, or that use themadnessability work wonderssince these cards want to be played out of hand anyway.
The other main use for overload cards is assome form of board wipe.Cyclonic Riftis one of the most notable since it can return all nonland permanents you don’t control to their owner’s hand — perfect for acontrol deck.
Meanwhile,Teleportalis a sorcery that can be overloaded to give your creatures +1/+0 and make them unblockable this turn. At three-generic, one-blue, and one-red, this is a great way to catch your opponent off-guard and land the killing blow.
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There are only24 cardsthat use the overload mechanic. In single colours, two are white, six are blue, three are black, eight are red, and one is green. With four having the Izzet (blue and red) colour identity.
All overload costs have thesame colour identity as their card’s normal costexcept forDamn, which is a black card with a white overload cost.
