Instants are an essential piece of MTG. It’s hard to make an effective deck that doesn’t include them. Not only that, but it’s awesome to play some crazy spell right when your opponent thinks they’ve got the game under their control. This list is here to highlight the best instants that cost only one mana. They’re fast, cheap, and effective! Let’s take a look!

#20 Infiltrate

Do you have a giant creature with no offensive abilities? Well, send that thing in! When you opponent tries to declare some little 1/1 as a chump blocker, slap this thing down and laugh in their face. Well, maybe don’t go that far, but play this card! There’s nothing like unblockable damage, especially when you make it count! A card like this can win a game.

#19 Giant Growth & Brute Force

Although making a card unblockable is usually better, boosting a creature can save it and make it more effective in a situation that making a creature unblockable can. Making a creature unblockable does only one thing, but giving a creature +X/+X can do a lot of things. This sort of thing has been around since Alpha and is a key part of MTG.

#18 Angel’s Grace

This card is a life saver. Literally! You can’t lose if you play this and it can’t be countered because it has split second (unless countered by a triggered ability)! You can always use a card like this.

#17 Shock

There’s another card on this list that’s very similar, but a little bit better. However, how could this list not include Shock? Once Lightning Bolt was no longer being printed (not anymore though!), this card filled the void. Two damage for one mana was just what the doctor ordered. It’s quick and can take out many of those little cards that seem to pester players right off the bat in a game. Of course, you can always shoot two damage right at an opponent, but this card seems to be used on creatures much more often.

#16 Righteousness

Well, good luck getting rid of a creature that blocks and has this card used on it! There are very few cards in MTG with power greater than seven, so if you use this on a 1/1, you aren’t likely to lose that creature. This is just a good card to use if you want to surprise your opponent and take out one of their biggest creatures.

#15 Berserk

The last card was defensive, this one is more offensive. If you attack, you lose the creature at the end of the turn, however, you do double that creature’s power and give it trample. This card has never been reprinted and is incredibly powerful. Whill it ever see the light of play again? I hope so! However, you can’t argue with it’s power!

#14 Mystical Tutor

Need a quick spell to win the game or save your butt? Use this and get ready to draw exactly what you wanted! It’s a great card one of the more famous tutor cards. You’re about to see a few more tutors so get ready to see them ranked in usefulness.

#13 Worldly Tutor

More often than spells, a good creature is what you need. Sometimes specific creatures are part of your master plan! This card is just for you then. It allows you to do the same tutoring as the last one, but only for a creature.

#12 Enlightened Tutor

This tutor is awesome. Searching for an enchatment is cool, but what you’re really tutoring for is the artifact. Hello Skullclamp(or whatever awesome artifact you want to get). It’s a great card and the third best tutor card on this list. Where’s the best one? Keep reading and you’ll find it.

#11 Crop Rotation

A card that just recently came off the restricted list, this card is great because it allows you to get any land and put it into play. Screw basic lands, get something ridiculous! I can see why it was restricted! Anyhow, it’s a good card and definetly one of the best land tutor cards.

#10 Lightning Bolt

This card is awesome. I thought it’d never be printed again, but it will be soon in MTG 2010! Alright! Anyway, this is one of the best direct damage spells of all time, let alone just this list. Compared to Shock, this card is god!

#9 Entomb

There are many cards that do things when they’re in your graveyard. There are many ways to bring awesome cards back from your graveyard to play. There are also many cards that can be played from the graveyard. See why this is a good card yet? It’s awesome and was also on the restricted list until recently. We’ll wait and see if MTG reconsider.

#8 Swords To Plowshares

One of the most powerful removal spells of all time, this one was at the top of the list until recently. It was usurped by…

#7 Path To Exile

Wow, one mana and a creature diappears. Not only that, but the only downside is your opponent getting a land? Depending on when you play this spell it almost has no downside! At the end of the game, your opponent getting one more land isn’t going to be a big deal. However, gaining life is always a step backward (as with Swords To Plowshares, which is still an incredible card). This card is just a small step higher, but higher none the less.

#6 High Tide

This card accelerates blue like no other! It’s a great card and allows players to play cards like Leviathan with ease. It’s an amazing card and one of the best cards from Fallen Empires. Doubling your mana is sweet.

#5 Vampiric Tutor

This is the best tutor (on this list). You get any card from your deck for only one mana and two life. The fact that you can pull any card from your deck is what makes it so great. It’s very powerful and can grab any card you need.

#4 Brainstorm

What’s cool about this card is that you really can draw three cards for only one mana! You just put two cards from your old hand back onto your library. This means that you can really craft your future with this card. It’s pretty awesome. It also has a spot on the restricted list. And that says a lot. In the top ten list, there are three cards on the restricted list and two that were on it previously.

#3 Fog, Holy Day, & Darkness

These cards are great. They all do the same thing, but in different colors. When your opponent launches an all out assault and you can play one of these cards it just spells the end for them. You can usually counter attack them then! It leaves you feeling good.

#2 Dark Ritual

Here’s a card that should never be forgotten or overlooked. It is used in many first turn win combos and is easy to come by. You get three mana for the price of one! How could you argue with that?

#1 Ancestral Recall

This card will most likely always be number one. Three cards for one mana? That’s power, and that’s amazing. It’s a card that won’t be reprinted. It’s as simple as that. It’s one of legend and the best one drop instant of all time.