The 50 Best Cheat into Play Effects in Magic Ranked

Sneak Attack | Illustration by Tyler Jacobson

While many players prefer to use honest creatures like Wild Nacatl to win Magic: The Gathering games, others lean towards big, game-warping threats like Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur to overwhelm their opponents. The problem is that these creatures often come with a hefty mana value. By the time you can generate the necessary mana to cast them, you're likely already dead. But what if you could cheat them into play as early as turn 1? Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Today, I’ll cover the best cards that let you play these powerful creatures for a fraction of their mana values and rank them based on their format playability and popularity.

Intrigued by what these cards might be? Let’s dive in!

What Are Cheat into Play Cards in MTG?

Show and Tell | Illustration by Donato Giancola

“Cheat into play” cards in Magic: The Gathering allow you to put creatures or permanents directly onto the battlefield without paying their full mana cost. These cards provide a significant advantage and often enable powerful combos or surprise plays.

While many cards have this effect globally, like Show and Tell, this discussion will focus primarily on those that cheat the biggest creatures and best creatures into play, though some cards will account for other permanent types.

#50. Counterlash

There’s no worse feeling than when an opponent counters your spell, except when it's followed by a 15/15 creature coming into play on the opposing side. Counterlash not only disrupts your opponent's plans by countering their spell, but it also gives you a massive body that can quickly turn the tide of the game, assuming you have cards in hand that overlap with the type of spell you countered.

#49. Dramatic Entrance

Dramatic Entrance may be limited to green creatures, but it offers a powerful advantage by cheating them into play at instant speed. This unexpected play can catch opponents off guard, especially when you pair it with massive threats like Progenitus.

#48. Call of the Wild

While it’s somewhat random, Call of the Wild turns your top deck into a cheat engine, letting you pay to potentially flip huge creatures into play. To bypass the drawback of completely missing on the activation, manipulating the top of your deck with cards like Sylvan Library or Sensei's Divining Top ensures this card’s consistency.

#47. Planar Bridge

At the expense of casting it and paying 8 more mana, Planar Bridge is the ultimate late-game cheat card, as you can tutor any permanent from your deck and put it directly onto the battlefield. While slow, in ramp decks or long games, it ensures you’ll find the exact tool needed to close things out.

#46. Kaalia of the Vast

Kaalia of the Vast is the queen of sneaking in big threats for free. Its ability makes Kaalia an incredible commander for a deck loaded with angels, demons, and dragons, letting you put them into play with just an attack trigger. The downside, of course, is getting Kaalia to attack safely, but with cards like Anger in your graveyard or by equipping it with Lightning Greaves, you can bypass this hurdle and start flooding the board with oversized creatures like Iona, Shield of Emeria or Griselbrand (or, you know, cards that aren't banned in Commander).

#45. Kona, Rescue Beastie

When Duskmourn: House of Horror was released, Kona, Rescue Beastie was one of the most hyped cards in the set. It pairs easily with cards like Citanul Stalwart or Unidentified Hovership to cheat big threats into play like Valgavoth, Terror Eater and, of course, Atraxa, Grand Unifier. While this strategy isn’t as popular now, it’s just waiting for the right card to be released and it’ll spike both in competitive play and price.

#44. Shadowfax, Lord of Horses

Unlike other creatures that cheat cards into play, Shadowfax, Lord of Horses usually won’t be putting big creatures into play. Instead, it focuses on sneaking in smaller ones that can immediately pressure your opponent (a few of my favorite hate bears come to mind). That said, the mightier this legendary horse becomes, the larger the creatures it can cheat into play!

#43. Tooth and Nail

While 9 mana to entwine both Tooth and Nail modes is a bit expensive, take into account that you can pull off classic combos like Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Triskelion to outright win the game on the spot. Or, you can just drop two massive threats to overwhelm your opponents.

#42. Goblin Lackey

Seemingly unassuming, Goblin Lackey becomes downright terrifying in the right deck. A single connection can drop a Siege-Gang Commander or, god forbid, a Muxus, Goblin Grandee for free, quickly creating overwhelming board states.

#41. Braids, Conjurer Adept

Technically you can use Braids, Conjurer Adept to cheats permanents into play for free, but its symmetrical ability also works in your opponents’ favor. If they’re too selfish (or suspicious) to enable your group hug strategy, they can just cheat a permanent into play and then kill Braids before you get value from its ability.

#40. Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant

Unlike Ghalta, Primal Hunger, who basically cheats itself into play in creature-heavy decks, Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant allows you to potentially put your whole hand onto the battlefield for just 8 mana.

#39. Mayael the Anima

As a commander, Mayael the Anima might let you put an Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre into play from your deck. It's all a bit clunky and expensive these days, but this was a feared commander in the early days of the format.

#38. See the Unwritten

While See the Unwritten functions similarly to other cards on this list that let you put creatures from the top of your library into play, it stands out by allowing you to put two creatures into play if you control a creature with power 4 or greater to satisfy its ferocious ability.

#37. Turntimber Symbiosis / Turntimber, Serpentine Wood

I love MDFC land cards like Turntimber Symbiosis because they offer the flexibility to serve as lands early in the game or powerful spells in the late game. This card in particular can help you cheat a big creature into play from the top cards of your library.

#36. Wild Pair

Wild Pair cheats creatures into play indirectly: When your creatures enter, you can fetch creatures that match their total power and toughness from your deck. It may be slow at the beginning and may not get you a creature right away, but it can snowball with relative ease once it’s set up, and it can enable some powerful combos in the late game.

#35. Karmic Guide

Karmic Guide is a cheat card disguised as recursion. While it mainly acts as a reanimator to bring creatures from the graveyard to the battlefield, you can pair it with sacrifice loops involving Reveillark or blink effects to endlessly reanimate threats for value.

#34. Jhoira of the Ghitu

By suspending massive threats like Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre or Blightsteel Colossus for just 2 mana, you set up explosive turns in the future and cheat these huge creatures into play with ease. This makes Jhoira of the Ghitu a top-tier big-mana commander.

#33. Lurking Predators

This card rewards you for simply existing in multiplayer games. With every spell the other players cast, regardless of the type, you gain the opportunity to reveal the top card of your library. And if it’s a creature, you can put it directly into play! This makes it a powerful tool in formats like Commander, where multiple players cast spells and create a steady stream of potential creature summons for you.

#32. Summoning Trap

Summoning Trap is a reactive cheat tool that punishes the counterspells that excel against creature-heavy decks. Casting it for free after a countered creature feels amazing, and even hard-casting it often results in a game-ending bomb.

#31. Esika, God of the Tree / The Prismatic Bridge

The Prismatic Bridge is among the best commanders you can use to cheat game-ending threats into play. Your targets can be planeswalkers, haymaker creatures, or you can build the deck around gods and make use of Esika, God of the Tree.

#30. Polymorph

When you target your own creatures, Polymorph lets you exchange a creature for another one that resides in your deck. To exploit this ability, the idea is to run only devastating threats like Hullbreaker Horror or Nezahal, Primal Tide and run commanders or cards that create tokens like Talrand, Sky Summoner that can later be used as fodder.

#29. Shape Anew

By sacrificing a cheap artifact token like a Treasure or Clue, you can cheat out something massive like Blightsteel Colossus or Portal to Phyrexia with Shape Anew. The downside is that this limits your options on which artifacts you can run in your deck, and not being able to use a Sol Ring is somewhat bothersome.

#28. Proteus Staff

If you’re looking for a permanent that can consistently pull off a Polymorph effect, Proteus Staff lets you do it at the cost of spending 3 mana and tapping it.

#27. Collected Company

Collected Company is one of the most popular cards for cheating small creatures into play, for just 4 mana at instant speed. It shines in decks like elves in Pioneer and other strategies that rely on a high density of little creatures.

#26. Eldritch Evolution

Eldritch Evolution is like a single-use Birthing Pod, turning any creature into a bigger one from your deck. In my blink decks, I like to sacrifice a 2-mana creature to tutor for a Thassa, Deep-Dwelling and start reusing enters abilities.

#25. Neoform

Unlike Eldritch Evolution, Neoform isn’t exiled when you use it, meaning it can be part of powerful synergies that consistently return it to your hand. For example, you can pair it with Teleportation Circle and Archaeomancer to return it or use it as a combo piece with cards like Dualcaster Mage.

#24. Transmogrify

Transmogrify is another Polymorph variant that targets creatures specifically. This has been a staple in Jund decks () to replace a token generated by the likes of Esika's Chariot or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker with a bomb from your deck, that bomb often being Atraxa, Grand Unifier.

#23. Indomitable Creativity

Unlike Polymorph, which targets only a single creature, Indomitable Creativity can cheat multiple artifacts and creatures into play from your deck. It shines in decks built around token generators like Big Score or Shark Typhoon, which provide expendable resources. To handle situations when you draw your key threats, cards like Volcanic Spite or Valakut Awakening can shuffle them back into your deck, ensuring they remain available for Creativity’s effect.

#22. Defense of the Heart

Once triggered, Defense of the Heart lets you cheat out two creatures for free. Dropping synergistic pairs like Avenger of Zendikar and Craterhoof Behemoth can win the game outright, especially if you can give your creatures haste.

#21. Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord

As it turns out, it only took one good vampire to get Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord banned from Pioneer. No, it was not your fault Ghalta and Mavren. Rather, Vein Ripper was the vampire to blame.

#20. Through the Breach

One of the most effective ways to cheat creatures into play in Modern’s history is Through the Breach. The plan is simple: Pay 5 mana and drop an Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or pretty much any other Eldrazi with annihilator into play. Sure, the creature sacrifices itself at the end of the turn, but attacking and forcing your opponent to sacrifice most of their board is usually enough to put you ahead and win the game.

#19. Aether Vial

Excelling at bypassing mana costs, Aether Vial lets you deploy creatures for free and at instant speed based on the number of counters it has. It shines in decks with tight mana curves, like merfolk or humans, enabling constant pressure while keeping mana available for interaction. For opponents trying to anticipate combat tricks or counterspells, it’s nothing short of a nightmare.

#18. Stoneforge Mystic

Stoneforge Mystic is widely considered one of the best cards for tutoring and cheating expensive equipment like Batterskull or Kaldra Compleat directly into play.

#17. Exhume

Exhume is a no-frills reanimation spell that returns a creature for each player. I particularly like to play it with the likes of Troll of Khazad-dûm as you can have a big creature very early in the game before your opponents can get value as well.

#16. Metamorphosis Fanatic

Duskmourn Commander’s Metamorphosis Fanatic is one of my favorite recent reanimation pieces, as you can set up powerful interactions with the likes of Worldly Tutor to cheat it into play for just 2 mana, along with another creature from your graveyard.

#15. Yggdrasil, Rebirth Engine

Released in Assassin's Creed, Yggdrasil, Rebirth Engine turns your graveyard into an endless source of threats for just 4 mana apiece.

#14. Pattern of Rebirth

At the expense of losing a creature, you can tutor for any other from your deck and put it straight onto the battlefield. While it's not required, it works better when you combine it with a sacrifice outlet or attach it to creatures with good death triggers.

#13. Etali, Primal Conqueror / Etali, Primal Sickness

One of the most potent ways to cheat cards into play is by resolving an Etali, Primal Conqueror. While it may require a bit of luck to hit a good target, its ability becomes wild in multiplayer formats, often snowballing games by providing you with overwhelming board states or resources.

#12. Hypergenesis

Banned in Modern, Hypergenesis functions as a pseudo-Eureka, allowing you to put big threats into play. While it can also benefit your opponent in two-player formats, it becomes highly exploitable when your deck is built around massive creatures. It’s interesting to imagine what the Modern format would look like if this card were unbanned, especially now that Violent Outburst isn’t legal anymore.

#11. Flash

Infamous for enabling broken interactions, Flash allows you to cheat creatures into play for just a fraction of their cost. While the drawback is that you have to sacrifice it if you don’t pay the creature's mana cost, classic combos like Flash-Hulk have dominated formats due to their ability to set up lethal boards in an instant. Pairing it with creatures with strong enters abilities is a must.

#10. Shallow Grave

Shallow Grave is a quick and sneaky reanimation tool that sees considerable play in Legacy, especially with creatures that have powerful enters abilities and attack triggers like Archon of Cruelty.

#9. Birthing Pod

By sacrificing a creature and paying some life, you can tutor directly from your deck and put a stronger one into play. Its chainable nature lets you turn small creatures into progressively more threatening ones, and it’s a perfect fit for toolbox decks like Melira Pod back when Birthing Pod was legal in Modern, and we even have whole pod-style commanders.

#8. Oath of Druids

Banned in Legacy, Oath of Druids is a powerhouse in cheat strategies, particularly in decks that run bombs like Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.

#7. Eureka

Eureka plays like a green Show and Tell, letting everyone drop permanents into play and repeating the process until no one puts a card onto the battlefield. It's also a roughly $400 Reserved List card, so probably just stick to Hypergenesis.

#6. Animate Dead

The second cheapest way to reanimate something is by using Animate Dead. While Persist exists, it's generally considered significantly worse.

#5. Natural Order

Sacrificing something small to cheat out a Craterhoof Behemoth or Terastodon can swing the game dramatically in your favor when you resolve Natural Order.

#4. Channel

Banned in almost every format and restricted in Vintage, Channel is an absurd cheat engine, allowing you to convert life into mana to cast massive spells or creatures, like the colorless mythic Eldrazi, early in the game. It doesn't exactly put permanents into play the same way other cheat cards do, but you could easily read it as “pay 12 life, put a 12-mana creature into play,” and the outcome is roughly the same.

#3. Reanimate

Reanimate cheats creatures into play for 1 just mana, and pairs exceptionally well with Entomb. It also synergizes extremely well with others like Fury or Grief when they’re played for their evoke cost.

#2. Sneak Attack

Sneak Attack is the OG cheat-into-play card. For just 1 red mana, you can drop game-ending bombs straight onto the battlefield, like Archon of Cruelty, with abilities that trigger both when it enters and attacks.

#1. Show and Tell

Show and Tell is one of the simplest and most iconic cheat-into-play spells. For just 4 mana, you can put anything into play, from a massive creature to an Omniscience, bypassing their steep mana costs. This often leads to winning the game on the spot.

What Are the Best Creatures to Cheat into Play?

As you may have guessed by now, the best creatures to cheat into play are typically high-cost, game-changing ones that can dramatically impact the battlefield. Some prime examples that have been popular throughout the game's history are Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Progenitus, and Craterhoof Behemoth, which are often used to win the game when they resolve.

Other popular options include creatures with powerful enters-the-battlefield effects like Archon of Cruelty or Atraxa, Grand Unifier to outvalue your opponents.

Wrap Up

Defense of the Heart | Illustration by Rebecca Guay

While it seems that some of the cards on this list usually cheat the same popular targets into play, remember that those will be very format-dependent due to power level and availability. That said, I hope you’ve found this list enjoyable and helpful in exploring the possibilities of cheating big threats into play.

If you want to discuss these strategies further, share your thoughts, or just chat with other players, feel free to join our Discord, and don't forget to follow our social media for the latest updates and content. 

Take care, and see you next time.