Inspiring Statuary
Tracked across real Commander games played through TurnZero HQ.
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What it does
Nonartifact spells you cast have improvise. (Your artifacts can help cast those spells. Each artifact you tap after you're done activating mana abilities pays for {1}.)
Rulings
11 official rulings, in the order Wizards published them.
- 2017-02-09
When using improvise to cast a spell with X in its mana cost, first choose the value for X. That choice, plus any cost increases or decreases, will determine the spell's total cost. Then you can tap artifacts you control to help pay that cost. For example, if you cast Whir of Invention (a spell with improvise and mana cost {X}{U}{U}{U}) and choose X to be 3, the total cost is 3. If you tap two artifacts, you'll have to pay 1.
- 2017-02-09
Because improvise isn't an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs.
- 2017-02-09
If you cast a nonartifact spell that requires you to sacrifice a permanent as an additional cost, you may tap that permanent (if it's an artifact) for the spell's improvise ability before you sacrifice it to pay that cost.
- 2017-02-09
Improvise can't pay for , , , , , or mana symbols in a spell's total cost.
- 2017-02-09
Equipment attached to a creature doesn't become tapped when that creature becomes tapped, and tapping that Equipment doesn't cause the creature to become tapped.
- 2017-02-09
Improvise doesn't change a spell's mana cost or mana value.
- 2017-02-09
Improvise can't be used to pay for anything other than the cost of casting the spell. For example, it can't be used during the resolution of an ability that says "Counter target spell unless its controller pays 3."
- 2017-02-09
If an artifact you control has a mana ability with T in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with improvise will result in the artifact being tapped when you pay the spell's costs. You won't be able to tap it again for improvise. Similarly, if you sacrifice an artifact to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with improvise, that artifact won't be on the battlefield when you pay the spell's costs, so you won't be able to tap it for improvise.
- 2017-02-09
Multiple instances of improvise are redundant.
- 2017-02-09
When calculating a spell's total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Improvise applies after the total cost is calculated.
- 2017-02-09
Tapping an artifact won't cause its abilities to stop applying unless those abilities say so.
Rulings are Wizards of the Coast's own, mirrored from Scryfall and refreshed nightly.
In the 99
Every deck whose current list includes Inspiring Statuary, whatever its commander.
Most played under
| Commander | Decks | Games | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER | 2 | 0 | — |
| Pizza Face, Gastromancer | 1 | 4 | — |
| Bosh, Iron Golem | 1 | 3 | — |
| Samwise Gamgee | 1 | 2 | — |
| Morska, Undersea Sleuth | 1 | 0 | — |
| Tivit, Seller of Secrets | 1 | 0 | — |
Colors it shows up in
- Naya 2 decks
- Golgari 1 deck
- Mono-Red 1 deck
- Selesnya 1 deck
- Esper 1 deck
- Bant 1 deck
Every version of Inspiring Statuary
10 printings, newest first. Prices are the market figures Scryfall publishes, refreshed nightly — a printing with no figure shows a dash rather than a zero, because Scryfall genuinely publishes none for some of them.

- Normal
- $0.26
- Foil
- —

Murders at Karlov Manor Commander
- Normal
- $0.39

- Normal
- $0.38
- Foil
- $0.71

Etched
- Etched
- $5.88

March of the Machine Commander
- Normal
- $0.40

The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts
- Normal
- $0.42
- Foil
- $0.85

The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts
- Normal
- $0.79
- Foil
- $1.93

The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts
- Foil
- $423.49

Aether Revolt
- Normal
- $0.37
- Foil
- $2.09

Promo
Aether Revolt Promos
- Foil
- $1.55
Prices from Scryfall, which tracks the TCGplayer and Cardmarket markets. They move daily and are a guide rather than a quote. Search TCGplayer for Inspiring Statuary — a name search across every version, for the printings TCGplayer publishes no direct link to.
Aggregated from Commander games tracked in TurnZero HQ. Every figure counts decks and games only — no individual deck list, player or playgroup is identified. Win rates are withheld below 5 completed games, where the sample is too small to mean anything.