The 50 Best Haste Creatures in Magic Ranked

Anger | Illustration by Henry Peters

One of my favorite kinds of creatures in Magic are the aggressive ones, especially those that don’t just sit around waiting for your opponents to pick them off with removal. I love creatures that hit the battlefield ready to make an impact right away—no waiting, no warnings, just straight to business.

That usually means creatures with haste, and today, we’ll go over the best ones printed through the game’s history.

Let’s hasten on to the list!

What Are Haste Creatures in MTG?

Urabrask, Heretic Praetor | Illustration by Simon Dominic

Haste creatures are ones that can attack or use abilities with the tap symbol as soon as they hit the battlefield. Normally, new creatures suffer from summoning sickness, so they can’t attack or tap to activate abilities right away. Haste bypasses that, and it lets you put pressure on your opponent immediately.

Haste creatures are great for aggressive decks and to catch opponents off guard before they can set up their defenses. This list includes creatures that can give themselves haste in some way, for example with dash or riot abilities.

#50. Reality Smasher

Reality Smasher is a 5/5 trampler with haste that demands that your opponents discard a card to even target it. It’s incredibly hard to deal with efficiently. In aggressive Eldrazi decks, it’s both a fast clock and a disruption piece that forces bad trades and keeps up constant pressure.

#49. Frenzied Baloth

Hard to stop and harder to answer, Frenzied Baloth brings trample and haste on an uncounterable body while it also shuts down counterspells and damage prevention shenanigans. It feels great to drop this into a meta full of blue decks, and it turns into a wrecking ball when you pair it with buffs like Rancor or Embercleave.

#48. Malcolm, the Eyes

Malcolm, the Eyes flies in with haste and turns your second spell each turn into a Clue, so it makes tempo and card draw happen together. It fits perfectly in spellslinger shells with cheap cantrips like Opt and Consider, or token makers like Young Pyromancer that double up on value.

#47. Merry, Esquire of Rohan

Equipped and attacking alongside another legend, Merry, Esquire of Rohan draws cards while first strike plus haste turns combat in your favor. It loves low-cost equipment like Blackblade Reforged or Maul of the Skyclaves, and you can keep the cards flowing when you pair it with legends like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer or Zurgo Bellstriker.

#46. Rankle, Master of Pranks

Rankle, Master of Pranks combines flying and haste with a menu of disruptive combat damage triggers. You can choose to make everyone discard, draw and lose life, or sacrifice a creature. This flexibility makes it a great fit for decks that thrive on symmetrical effects or have expendable creatures to give up.

#45. Satya, Aetherflux Genius

Whenever Satya, Aetherflux Genius attacks, it makes a tapped and attacking token copy of another creature you control and gives you 2 energy. You can pay energy equal to the creature’s mana value to keep the token, which creates repeatable value with big ETB effects. Thanks to menace and haste, Satya ensures those tokens hit the field ready to put immediate pressure on your opponent.

#44. Shadow the Hedgehog

Shadow the Hedgehog rewards aggressive and flash-heavy strategies by drawing you a card whenever a creature with haste or flash dies under your control. Its Chaos Control ability grants split second to your spells if you spent artifact mana, so it’s nearly impossible for your opponents to interact with them. It’s a disruptive and resilient threat in red-black artifact builds.

#43. Broadside Bombardiers

Mostly seen in Duel Commander, Broadside Bombardiers brings both menace and haste, so it’s a tricky attacker right out of the gate. Its boast ability lets you turn extra creatures or artifacts into direct damage, and you add the sacrificed card’s mana value to the burn. In aggressive builds with expendable tokens from Krenko, Mob Boss or Treasure Map, it can stack up game-ending damage fast, all while it keeps opponents on the defensive.

#42. Captain Lannery Storm

Treasure production meets aggression with Captain Lannery Storm. Every attack nets you a Treasure, and if you sacrifice one, this pirate gets stronger for the turn. It’s a great fit for decks that love to ramp into big plays or trigger artifact synergies, and it pairs well with cards like Goldspan Dragon to keep the value train rolling while you swing for damage.

41. Goblin Chieftain

Goblin Chieftain is the classic goblin lord that gives your entire army +1/+1 and haste. Token swarms turn into immediate threats, and even your smallest goblins become dangerous. Combined with cards like Mogg War Marshal or Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin, it’s the accelerant for the engine that keeps goblin aggro decks blazing fast.

#40. Goblin Warchief

With cost reduction and haste for all goblins, Goblin Warchief keeps your plays cheap and explosive. This lets you flood the board and swing in the same turn, so it’s hard for opponents to keep up. It’s especially nasty when you chain it into multiple goblin lords or token producers in a single turn.

#39. Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter

Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter thrives in artifact-heavy builds, and it offers haste and two different ways to turn artifacts into more value. You can sacrifice an artifact creature to make Treasures, while sacrificing a non-creature artifact makes constructs. In decks with cards like Myr Battlesphere or Academy Manufactor, Jan can flood the board and your mana pool in no time.

#38. Laelia, the Blade Reforged

Good in Legacy Mono-Red Prison, Laelia, the Blade Reforged thrives on exile-based aggression, since it grows bigger every time cards leave your library or graveyard. Its attack trigger exiles the top card of your library and lets you play it that turn, keeping the pressure and card advantage steady.

#37. Screaming Nemesis

Screaming Nemesis turns damage against it into damage for your opponents—or their creatures—while it shuts down lifegain entirely once it hits a player. It’s a nightmare in aggressive red decks and punishes any attempt to block or burn it.

#36. Squee, Dubious Monarch

With haste and the ability to make a 1/1 Goblin every attack, Squee, Dubious Monarch keeps the battlefield busy. It’s also incredibly resilient thanks to its graveyard-casting ability, so it’s hard to keep down. In goblin decks, it works wonders with lords and sacrifice outlets to ensure you’re never out of attackers.

#35. Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER

Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER blends haste with powerful equipment synergies, and it lets you auto-attach an equipment when it enters. Every attack draws cards based on how many equipped creatures you send into battle, and if Cloud’s power hits 7 or more, you even make two Treasures. In Naya () equipment shells with tools like Sword of Fire and Ice or Colossus Hammer, Cloud turns your gear into a relentless card draw and mana engine.

#34. Kenrith, the Returned King

With a red activation that gives all creatures trample and haste, Kenrith, the Returned King can turn a board stall into a surprise lethal swing. The rest of its abilities—counters, lifegain, card draw, and reanimation—make it a Swiss Army knife for any 5-color deck. It’s a flexible closer that can also rebuild and stabilize when the game drags on.

#33. Loot, the Pathfinder

Loot, the Pathfinder is a triple-threat attacker with double strike, vigilance, and haste, plus three powerful exhaust abilities for mana, card draw, and damage. It’s a versatile commander for Temur () that ramps you ahead, draws into answers, and applies pressure all at once. With equipment or auras to boost power, Loot becomes a lethal combat and value engine.

#32. Pako, Arcane Retriever

Pako, Arcane Retriever exiles the top card of each player’s library when it attacks, and it grows with +1/+1 counters for each noncreature card exiled. Partnered with Haldan, Avid Arcanist, you can even cast those cards later. The haste ensures you get immediate value, and in Temur shells with evasion tricks, Pako snowballs into an unstoppable force.

#31. Detective’s Phoenix

A flexible threat in aggressive red builds, Detective's Phoenix can keep returning from the graveyard through its bestow ability, granting any creature flying and haste. If you collect the right amount of evidence, it stays in play turn after turn, perfect to keep pressure on your opponent. Pair it with discard or self-mill effects like Cathartic Reunion to make it easy to bring it back while you fuel constant aerial attacks.

#30. Eldrazi Linebreaker

Huge in Modern and Legacy Eldrazi decks, Eldrazi Linebreaker is prized for its ability to grant haste and a massive power boost based on your Eldrazi count. With trample, it punches through chump blockers with ease, and giving another creature that same treatment can close out games in a heartbeat.

#29. Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon

Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon brings flying, infect, and optional haste, so it’s a terrifying one-shot threat with the right buffs. Regeneration gives it staying power, while you can pair it with pump like Tainted Strike or Hatred, which can to lead to instant kills. It’s a top-tier closer in any infect strategy.

#28. Urabrask the Hidden

With Urabrask the Hidden, all your creatures gain haste while your opponents’ creatures enter tapped. This dual effect means you always strike first while you slow their defense. In aggressive builds, it’s a devastating tempo swing that can close out games quickly.

#27. Zealous Conscripts

Zealous Conscripts steals any permanent until end of turn, untaps it, and gives it haste. It’s perfect to swing with an opponent’s best threat or combo with cards like Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. It’s a flexible answer that doubles as a win condition in the right setup.

#26. Dragonlord Kolaghan

Dragonlord Kolaghan brings flying and a team-wide haste boost, so it’s a natural fit for aggressive dragon decks. Its unique triggered ability punishes opponents who cast a creature or planeswalker with the same name as something in their graveyard and hits them for 10 life. This turns reanimation and recursion strategies against your foes while you keep your skies full of speedy threats.

#25. Velomachus Lorehold

Velomachus Lorehold flies in with vigilance and haste, so you can attack right away and still keep it back to block. When it swings, you dig seven cards deep for an instant or sorcery with mana value equal to or less than its power and cast it for free. You can buff its power before combat to make the effect even bigger, especially in Jeskai () spell-heavy decks.

#24. Samut, Voice of Dissent

In Naya or multicolor creature decks, Samut, Voice of Dissent’s mix of surprise factor and versatility makes it an undeniable all-star. Flash, double strike, vigilance, and haste turn into a true ambush predator that offers both offensive and defensive power. On top of that, it gives haste to your other creatures and can untap another target creature for unexpected plays.

#23. Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund

Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund is a dream dragon commander—flying, haste, and a mass dragon theft ability when it enters. Untapping all dragons you control ensures an immediate, overwhelming attack. Whether you’re in a dragon typal deck or just want a powerful finisher, Karrthus brings unmatched speed and board dominance.

#22. Éowyn, Fearless Knight

Haste lets Éowyn, Fearless Knight make an immediate impact even after the enters ability exiles a larger opposing creature. Giving all your legendary creatures protection from that creature’s colors for the turn turns this into a powerful tempo swing. In Boros legend decks, Éowyn can clear the path for a massive, protected attack that puts the game firmly in your favor.

#21. Hellrider

Hellrider turns every attack into direct damage by pinging the defending player or planeswalker for each creature attacking. Combined with haste, it can suddenly convert a wide board into lethal damage. Token strategies with cards like Legion Warboss can maximize this to end games in a single turn.

#20. Knuckles the Echidna

Double strike, trample, and haste make Knuckles the Echidna a powerhouse that turns every combat into a burst of damage. Every time your creatures connect, you create a Treasure, and you outright win the game on your next upkeep if you hit 30 or more artifacts. In Treasure-focused builds with cards like Goldspan Dragon, Knuckles becomes a ticking time bomb your opponents can’t ignore.

#19. Questing Beast

Questing Beast crams a ton of keywords into one card—vigilance, deathtouch, and haste—while it ignores smaller blockers and ensures that combat damage sticks. It also snipes planeswalkers whenever it hits a player. In green aggressive decks, it’s the ultimate utility attacker that pressures life totals and loyalty counters at the same time.

#18. Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

One of the most dangerous Voltron commanders, Skullbriar, the Walking Grave starts small but grows with every hit, and the truly scary part is that its +1/+1 counters stick through almost every zone change. In +1/+1 counter decks with cards like Winding Constrictor or Hardened Scales, it can snowball at an alarming rate, and haste means it starts that plan immediately. Removal won’t reset it; over a long game it just keeps coming back stronger, so it’s a relentless threat at any stage.

#17. Monastery Swiftspear

Few 1-drops punish opponents like Monastery Swiftspear; prowess plus haste turns every cheap spell into surprise damage. Pair it with free or low-cost interaction like Gut Shot, Mutagenic Growth, or Lightning Bolt, and it can deliver massive swings while it still plays defense with efficient trades. In Pauper, it eventually proved too efficient and earned a ban in a meta where it demanded removal on sight the moment it hit the battlefield.

#16. Spider-Punk

Thanks to the Marvel’s Spider-Man, Spider-Punk is all about bringing the chaos. Riot gives you the flexibility to choose haste for immediate pressure or a +1/+1 counter for extra staying power, and it passes that choice along to all your other spiders. On top of that, it shuts down counterspells and damage prevention entirely, so it’s a nightmare for control decks and fog strategies.

#15. Tersa Lightshatter

Tersa Lightshatter is a hasty attacker with built-in card filtering when it enters the battlefield. Once your graveyard is stocked with seven or more cards, each attack exiles one at random, and you get the chance to play it that turn. In aggressive red decks with rummaging effects and graveyard synergies, Tersa keeps the gas flowing well into the late game.

#14. Urabrask, Heretic Praetor

Urabrask, Heretic Praetor uses haste and card advantage to keep you ahead while it slows your opponents. You get an extra card in exile to play each turn, while opponents lose their first draw and must play from exile instead. It’s both pressure and disruption in red midrange or control decks.

#13. Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider

Trample, haste, and counter-doubling make Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider one of the most explosive green finishers around. Doubling your own counters while it halves opponents’ makes Vorinclex perfect for +1/+1 counter, planeswalker, or poison strategies. Play it into a planeswalker like Nissa, Who Shakes the World and you’ll often ultimate right away for a crushing blow.

#12. Thraximundar

Thraximundar swings as a 6/6 with haste, and it forces your opponent to sacrifice a creature each time it attacks. On top of that, it grows with +1/+1 counters whenever any player sacrifices a creature, so it scales fast in sacrifice-heavy games. In Grixis () builds with cards like Grave Pact, Thraximundar becomes both a board-control piece and a massive clock.

#11. Anger

With Anger in your graveyard and a mountain on the field, all your creatures gain haste. It’s an easy, low-cost way to give your deck permanent speed, especially in self-mill or discard-heavy strategies. It’s a staple in many aggressive or combo builds that want their creatures to swing immediately.

#10. Arclight Phoenix

Arclight Phoenix is a Pioneer staple—flying and haste make it a quick threat, but its real strength is that it returns from the graveyard whenever you cast three or more instants or sorceries in a turn. It’s perfect for decks packed with cheap cantrips so it can swing in repeatedly without needing to pay full price again.

#9. Maelstrom Wanderer

Maelstrom Wanderer gives all your creatures haste and cascades twice when you cast it, which guarantees an immediate board impact. Those free spells often include ramp, removal, or more creatures, so it’s a huge tempo swing. In Temur ramp decks, it’s a game-ending top-end threat that floods the board with value in one explosive turn.

#8. Craterhoof Behemoth

Few finishers end games like Craterhoof Behemoth. Its ETB pumps your entire team with +X/+X and trample, where X is the number of creatures you control. In token or elf decks, this means going from harmless to lethal in a single swing, especially with haste allowing the beast itself to attack.

#7. Bloodbraid Elf

Bloodbraid Elf is the definition of tempo and value: Haste plus cascade mean it hits the board and immediately gives you another spell for free. In decks with cheap removal or pump like Lightning Bolt or Atarka's Command, it snowballs fast by clearing blockers or pushing extra damage. Because cascade triggers on cast, you still get the bonus even if an opponent counters it. It’s a reliable midgame play that keeps pressure high.

#6. Goblin Bushwhacker

Kick Goblin Bushwhacker and suddenly your entire team gets a power boost and haste, which turns a modest board into a lethal assault. It thrives in go-wide strategies where tokens from Krenko's Command or Dragon Fodder pack the battlefield, so Bushwhacker comes in as the closer. The card’s explosive synergy was strong enough to help push Kuldotha Rebirth into a ban in Pauper, and in Modern it’s a key piece of “8-Wack” decks, which run eight Bushwhacker effects for relentless, high-speed kills.

#5. Goblin Guide

Aggro decks love Goblin Guide for one reason: It starts to hit immediately for 2 with haste and keeps the pressure on. The library reveal can give opponents lands, but you can pair it with burn like Lava Spike or Boros Charm to ensure that the extra card rarely matters because the game ends quickly. It’s at its best when you curve it out early and keep attacking every turn.

#4. Emberheart Challenger

With haste, prowess, and a valiant ability, Emberheart Challenger works like a compact engine that rewards you for targeting it. Casting a cheap trick like Ancestral Anger or Expedite not only pumps its stats but also exiles a card you can play that turn, which turns simple cantrips into real pressure. It scales quickly in spells-matter builds, keeps your hand full, and starts to swing immediately—so much so that it’s quickly become a staple in both Pioneer and Standard.

#3. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker is a combo legend thanks to its ability to tap and make a hasty copy of any nonlegendary creature you control. Whether you duplicate ETB effects like Zealous Conscripts or double down on value creatures, the potential for infinite loops is real. It’s key to protect Kiki because games can end in a single turn once it’s online.

#2. Vengevine

A Vintage staple, Vengevine is a recursive beater with haste that springs back from the graveyard whenever you cast your second creature spell in a turn. In decks packed with cheap creatures or token-makers, it’s effortless to meet that condition, so you can keep the pressure high turn after turn.

#1. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer is a menace in the early game since it generates Treasures and impulsive draws whenever it connects. Dash gives it haste and temporary safety, so you can strike without overextending into removal. In red tempo decks, it’s both ramp and card advantage wrapped in one aggressive package.

Wrap Up

Reality Smasher | Illustration by Aleksi Briclot

While there are plenty of haste creatures across Magic formats, the best ones are usually those you can drop on turn 1 in Constructed or the ones you can cheat out for 0 mana. No matter the format, haste almost always means someone’s life total is about to drop immediately.

Which ones do you like the most? Let us know in the comments or on the Draftsim Discord, and don’t forget to follow us on social media so you never miss these lists.

Take care, and see you next time.