Haste is one of the earliest static abilities in Magic: The Gathering, but the earliest creatures with the familiar effect didn't have the keyword. In fact, it took several years before the ability players called "raging" to be given its own keyword.

What Is Haste?

Haste is a keyword that means that the creature can attack and use activated abilities with the tap or untap symbols on the same turn it comes into play. It was originally introduced for Black creatures, but later became centered on the Red color identity.

Originally, creatures were printed as summon spells, which is why their inability to attack the turn they come into play is called "summoning sickness." If you think of that scene in Watchmen where Doctor Manhattan teleports Silk Spectre to Florida, only for her to be violently sick, you'll have a pretty good idea what the flavor of that mechanic was.

Summoned creatures, after being pulled through the Blind Eternities to your kitchen table, were confused and disoriented, and needed a moment to get their bearings before they could attack or use abilities that required significant effort, which would tap them. Creatures with Haste could attack immediately, which could catch your opponent by surprise.

Haste has little effect outside of the first turn a creature comes into play, because summoning sickness only applies that one turn. But decks that use a lot of flicker effects like Ephemerate can take advantage of Haste to trigger an Enter effect and still attack, or use activated abilities that require them to tap more than once.

One notable exception is cards that check for Haste for other effects. For example, Gingerbrute can become unblockable except to creatures with Haste, which represents those creatures being fast enough to catch the fast Food.

Super Haste

Haste allows a creature to attack the turn it comes into play. What could be faster than that? How about attacking the turn before it comes into play? That's Super Haste!

Only one card was ever printed with Super Haste: Rocket-Powered Turbo Slug, from 2004's Unhinged. You could put this card into play tapped and attacking without paying for it during your attack phase, but you had to pay its four-mana casting cost the next turn or you lost the game.

Mechanics from silver-bordered sets don't often make it to normal Magic sets, but Super Haste kind of did! Pact of Negation and Pact of the Titan are both inspired by Super Haste. Each of these cards uses the same idea of getting an immediate effect, but needing to pay a high price for it later or automatically lose the game.

The Future of Haste

While Haste was originally such a minor effect that it didn't even have a keyword, it's become a staple in Magic. It isn't an ability that you'll build a deck around, but it's valuable enough to include Haste enablers like Mass Hysteria in most combat-focused decks.

While you can expect to see Haste in most future sets, don't hold your breath for more creatures with Super Haste. Perhaps one day we'll get more Pacts, though, enough to complete the color cycle.